[A measurement of liver volume and its changes in post-hepatitic cirrhosis]

By use of the computerized digital image processing system, the liver volume in vivo was successfully measured and the three dimensional image of the liver rebuilt in 62 cases of posthepatitic cirrhosis and 15 noncirrhotics. It was found (1) The liver volume of 474.64 +/- 115.28cm3/m2 in Chinese cirrhotics is significantly smaller than that of the control (P < 0.001); (2) In most cases, patients in class I of the liver function have a larger liver volume; (3) Patients with smaller liver volume have poor tolerance to surgery with a critical value of 400cm3/m2; (4) the liver volume considerably reduced after shunt plus devascularization but did not change after devascularization only.