Published online Jul 14, 2009. doi: 10.3748/wjg.15.3298
Revised: April 18, 2009
Accepted: April 25, 2009
Published online: July 14, 2009
AIM: To study the liver and spleen volume variations in hepatic fibrosis patients at different histopathological stages.
METHODS: Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) scan was performed in 85 hepatic fibrosis patients. Liver volume (LV) and spleen volume (SV) were measured. Fifteen healthy individuals served as a control group (S0). The patients were divided into stage 1 (S1) group (n = 34), stage 2 (S2) group (n = 25), stage 3 (S3) group (n = 16), and stage 4 (S4) group (n = 10) according to their histopathological stage of liver fibrosis.
RESULTS: The LV and standard LV(SLV)had a tendency to increase with the severity of fibrosis, but no statistical difference was observed in the 5 groups (LV: F = 0.245, P = 0.912; SLV: F = 1.902, P = 0.116). The SV was gradually increased with the severity of fibrosis, and a statistically significant difference in SV was observed among the 5 groups (P < 0.01). The LV/SV ratio and SLV/SV ratio were gradually decreased with the aggravation of hepatic fibrosis, and statistically significant differences in both LV/SV and SLV/SV were found among the 5 groups (P < 0.01).
CONCLUSION: The absence of obvious LV reduction in patients with chronic liver disease may be a morphological index of patients without liver cirrhosis. The SV is related to the severity of fibrosis, and the spleen of patients with advanced fibrosis is enlarged evidently. The LV/SV ratio and SLV/SV ratio are of a significant clinical value in the diagnosis of advanced liver fibrosis.