Liver volume in children measured by computed tomography

Area of Science:

• Pediatric imaging
• Hepatology
• Medical volumetry

Background:

• Accurate liver volume assessment is crucial for pediatric health evaluations.
• Establishing normative liver volume data across pediatric age groups is essential for clinical interpretation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine normal liver volumes in children and young adults using computed tomography (CT).
• To analyze age-related changes in liver volume and liver volume relative to body weight.
• To explore the clinical utility of liver volumetry in pediatric liver assessment and transplantation.

Main Methods:

• Computed tomography (CT) scans were used to measure liver volume in 54 healthy children and young adults (10 days to 22 years).
• Liver volume was calculated by summing traced liver areas across scan slices and multiplying by scan interval.
• Data were analyzed for mean liver volume and liver volume indexed to body weight across different age groups.

Main Results:

• Mean liver volume was 178.2 cm³ in infants (<12 months) and 1114.3 cm³ in adolescents (>16 years).
• Mean liver volume relative to body weight was 34.1 cm³/kg in infants and 20.2 cm³/kg in adolescents.
• Liver volume demonstrated rapid growth in infancy, gradual increase in childhood, and plateau in adolescence.

Conclusions:

• Liver volume increases significantly during infancy and childhood, with distinct growth patterns across age groups.
• CT-based liver volumetry provides valuable data for evaluating pediatric liver function.
• This method can assist in determining appropriate graft size for pediatric liver transplantation.