A morphometric study on regeneration of the human liver following hepatectomy by computed tomography

A morphometric study has been carried out on the restoration of remnant hepatic volume (RHV) after various extent of hepatectomy in humans by serial computed tomography in 15 non-cirrhotics, 14 cirrhotics and 7 hepatic failures. Restoration of RHV has been observed only in patients with more than 10 % hepatectomy. In non-cirrhotics with major hepatectomy (RHV less than 600 cm3), an early rapid increasing phase was followed by a subsequent decreasing phase and then a slow increasing phase. Decreasing phase was absent in most non-cirrhotics with moderate hepatectomy (RHV 600-1000 cm3) and cirrhotics. Daily increase rate of RHV during the first posthepatectomy month was inversely proportional to the RHV at operation restoring invariably to 800-900 cm3 at the end of this month. Termination of regeneration was within 6 months in non-cirrhotics with moderate hepatectomy and from 6 to 12 months in those with major hepatectomy. It was delayed in cirrhotics. RHV has finally attained to an average of 90 % of preoperative hepatic volume in non-cirrhotics and 81 % in cirrhotics. The restoration of RHV was extremely poor in hepatic failures. (author)