Chronic hepatic disease: usefulness of serial CT examinations

Our purpose was to confirm whether the progression of chronic liver disease could be determined by serial CT examinations.

We calculated the liver (right and left lobes) and spleen volumes of 34 patients with chronic liver disease, who were examined serially for >2 years using a helical CT scanner. Progression of collateral formations was also checked during follow-up. These CT findings were compared with the liver function tests by Child-Pugh score.

The Child-Pugh score got worse in eight patients ("score-worse group") and did not change in the other patients ("score-static group"). The liver volume ratio between the first and last CT examinations was significantly smaller in the score-worse group than in the score-static group (p = 0.015). The right lobe volume ratio was also significantly smaller in the score-worse group (p = 0.009); however, the left lobe volume ratio and spleen volume ratio were not significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.656 and p = 0.365). In four patients of the score-static group, collateral formations progressed.

Serial CT examinations are useful to evaluate patients with chronic liver disease. The left lobe does not become hypertrophied but tends to be preserved, in contrast to the right lobe, with the progression of the disease.