Simple technique in the measurement of liver volume.

ABSTRACT

The measurement of liver volume is considered to be a highly effective prediction of postoperative liver failure in hepatectomized patients and selection of the proper size of the liver obtained from a living donor. The aim of the paper was therefore, to develop a simple, inexpensive and practical technique for the measurement of liver volume. Computerized tomography (CT) imaging sections were used to measure sectional areas of liver sections via a graphic program. The volumes of livers were then calculated from the combined sectional areas using mean-area, end-area, and prismodial methods. The calculated volumes of livers obtained were compared to those manually measured in a water replacement technique. The findings of the results indicated that the liver volume could be estimated from CT scan films with typically less than 5 per cent difference compared to the manual method.