Liver and spleen volume variations in patients with hepatic fibrosis

To study the liver and spleen volume variations in hepatic fibrosis patients at different histopathological stages.

Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) scan was performed in 85 hepatic fibrosis patients. Liver volume (LV) and spleen volume (SV) were measured. Fifteen healthy individuals served as a control group (S0). The patients were divided into stage 1 (S1) group (n = 34), stage 2 (S2) group (n = 25), stage 3 (S3) group (n = 16), and stage 4 (S4) group (n = 10) according to their histopathological stage of liver fibrosis.

The LV and standard LV(SLV)had a tendency to increase with the severity of fibrosis, but no statistical difference was observed in the 5 groups (LV: F = 0.245, P = 0.912; SLV: F = 1.902, P = 0.116). The SV was gradually increased with the severity of fibrosis, and a statistically significant difference in SV was observed among the 5 groups (P < 0.01). The LV/SV ratio and SLV/SV ratio were gradually decreased with the aggravation of hepatic fibrosis, and statistically significant differences in both LV/SV and SLV/SV were found among the 5 groups (P < 0.01).

The absence of obvious LV reduction in patients with chronic liver disease may be a morphological index of patients without liver cirrhosis. The SV is related to the severity of fibrosis, and the spleen of patients with advanced fibrosis is enlarged evidently. The LV/SV ratio and SLV/SV ratio are of a significant clinical value in the diagnosis of advanced liver fibrosis.