A rapid method for the in vivo measurement of liver volume

Abstract

A method is described to calculate liver volume at US using real‐time equipment. The method is based on the measurement of the 3 maximum diameters of the liver. Equations were derived by correlation vs CT volume measurement using the 3 diameters (multiple regression) or their product (simple regression) as independent variables in 20 subjects with and without liver disease. It is suggested that liver volume may be estimated as:where y is the volume (in ml), and C – C, A – P, and L – L are the 3 diameters (in cm). The two equations were validated in a second set of 22 subjects. US volume estimated according to Eq. 2 explained approximately 82% of the variance of the actual liver volume. The method is reproducible (interobserver variations <8%), rapid and easy‐to‐repeat. These features make it potentially useful in prospective longitudinal studies.