Consistency of human liver.

Liver consistency was measured biomechanically on the left lobe during laparotomy (n = 52) and on the resected specimen (n = 24) using a specially devised technique. Its relationship with histological findings and hepatic functions was also investigated. Instrumentation included a venipuncture needle with a closed tip and a round latex microballoon attached at a side hole. The needle was connected to a pressure transducer and infusion pump with a polyethylene tube. After the needle was introduced into the liver tissue, liver consistency was measured as delta P/delta V (cm H2O/ml) from the slope of pressure rise on a Pressure (P)-Volume (V) curve obtained at constant saline infusion. Liver consistency increased proportionally with the degree of hepatic fibrosis: 589 +/- 191 (cm H2O/ml) for nonfibrosis (n = 25), 869 +/- 139 for periportal fibrosis (n = 14), 1030 +/- 116 for incomplete cirrhosis (n = 15), and 1250 +/- 206 for fully developed cirrhosis (n = 22). Correspondingly, liver consistency correlated closely with morphometrically estimated hepatic fiber content (r = 0.82, P less than 0.01). With the exception of albumin, liver function tests including prothrombin time, gamma-globulin fraction, zinc turbidity, and indocyanine green retention rate showed significant correlations with liver consistency (0.41 less than magnitude of r less than 0.68, P less than 0.001). However, correlation was much less than that between liver consistency and hepatic fiber content. The present study demonstrates that liver consistency measured by this technique can be a predictive index of hepatic fiber gradings.