[Postoperative urinary ulinastatin secretion and renal function in hepatectomized patients with and without liver...

We compared ulinastatin secretion into urine with renal function during postoperative period in three groups, hepatectomized group with liver cirrhosis (LC(+), n = 7), hepatectomized group without liver cirrhosis (LC(-), n = 4) and subtotal gastrectomized group with normal liver function (GR, n = 7). In LC(+) group, N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) increased above normal upper limit throughout the postoperative period. Ulinastatin (UTI) also increased but the increase was not remarkable. In LC(-) group, NAG increase but not significantly compared with the preoperative value. UTI increased from 5.8 +/- 3.0 IU.mg x Cr-1 to 30.8 +/- 16.6 IU.mg x Cr-1 and 39.9 +/- 9.0 IU. mg x Cr-1 on the 1st and 3rd postoperative day respectively. In GR group, there was no change in NAG value. UTI on the 3rd postoperative day increased significantly (from 10.0 +/- 7.7 to 75.4 +/- 39.0 IU.mg x Cr-1). A small urinary secretion of UTI and increased NAG during postoperative period in LC(+) group suggest that UTI might play an important role in postoperative renal dysfunction in patients with liver cirrhosis.