Changes in liver and spleen volumes in alcoholic liver disease

Liver and spleen volumes were determined using computed tomography in 57 subjects with alcoholic liver disease and 76 subjects with nonalcoholic liver disease, in order to clarify the clinical characteristics and pathogenetic mechanisms of portal hypertension in alcoholic liver disease. The liver volumes in alcoholic liver disease were significantly larger than those in nonalcoholic liver disease, except in cases of decompensated liver cirrhosis. The increase in liver volume in alcoholic liver disease showed a significant correlation with the degree of hepatocytic ballooning. Overlapping of values for liver volume between alcoholic and nonalcoholic liver disease was quite small, suggesting that determination of liver volumes could be helpful for making etiological diagnoses in chronic liver disease. Spleen volumes were increased in the advanced cases of both alcoholic and nonalcoholic liver disease. The correlations between liver and spleen volumes were quite different between alcoholic and nonalcoholic liver disease. In nonalcoholic liver disease, a negative correlation was obtained, while, on the other hand, it was significantly positive in alcoholic liver disease. This appears to suggest that the pathogenetic mechanism of portal hypertension may differ between the diseases. After abstinence from alcohol, the decrease in liver and spleen volumes showed a statistically significant correlation, suggesting that ballooning of the hepatocytes may play a role in the augmentation of portal hypertension in alcoholic liver disease.