A rapid method for the in vivo measurement of liver volume

A method is described to calculate liver volume at US using real-time equipment. The method is based on the measurement of the 3 maximum diameters of the liver. Equations were derived by correlation vs CT volume measurement using the 3 diameters (multiple regression) or their product (simple regression) as independent variables in 20 subjects with and without liver disease. It is suggested that liver volume may be estimated as: y = -2364 + 89.2.(C-C) + 119.9.(A-P) + 59.6.(L-L) or y = 133.2 + 0.422.(C-C.A-P.L-L) where y is the volume (in ml), and C-C, A-P, and L-L are the 3 diameters (in cm). The two equations were validated in a second set of 22 subjects. US volume estimated according to Eq. 2 explained approximately 82% of the variance of the actual liver volume. The method is reproducible (interobserver variations less than 8%), rapid and easy-to-repeat. These features make it potentially useful in prospective longitudinal studies.