Liver volume in children measured by computed tomography
Takuo Noda, Takuji Todani, Yasuhiro Watanabe, Sae Yamamoto
Pediatr Radiol 27, 250-252, 1997
Liver volume was measured by computed tomography in 54
children and young adults with no history of liver disease. Their ages ranged
from 10 days to 22 years. the volume was calculated as follows: (1) the
edges of the liver were traced on each scan image and the area was calculated
by computer; (2) the areas were summed and multiplied by the scan interval
in centimeters. The mean liver volume (+-SD) was 178.2 +- 81.9 cm3 in infants
(less than 12 months old) and 1114.3 +- 192.9 cm3 in adolescents (more than
16 years old). The mean liver volume in relation to body weight (+-SD) was
34.1 +- 5.5 cm3/kg in infants and 20.2 +- 3.1 cm3/kg in adolescents. In
general, liver volume increases rapidly in infants, gradually in schoolchildren,
and not at all in adolescents. Volumetry might be clinically useful for
evaluating the liver function in children and determining the graft size
in liver transplantation.
Return