[Approaches of preoperative assessment of liver function in cirrhotic patient: current status and future prospects]

Risks persists during liver resection in the patients with cirrhosis. Routine examinations usually are unable to predict the morbidity and mortality following surgery. Evaluation approaches of liver function, including aminotransferase, bilirubin, albumin, prothrombin time, Child-Pugh classification, and indocyanine green (ICG) test, currently remain the most important method to determine the prognosis of liver resection, especially in cirrhotic patients. However, all these approaches have their weakness. Some new methods, including non-invasive ICG test, liver function evaluation by hepatic imaging, and remnant hepatic function test, are awaiting further investigation. This article reviews the current status and future prospect in the assessment of liver functions.