Correlation analysis of relationships between vitamin-K-dependent clotting factors and effective hepatic blood flow, albumin and other liver function tests.

Relationships between Normotest, prothrombin time, albumin, gamma-globulin, GPT, and the hepatic fractional clearance of 198Au-colloids as a measure of effective hepatic blood flow were studied by correlation analysis, in 50 patients with liver diseases, including chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis. Simple correlation coefficients were highly significant between Normotest, prothrombin time, albumin, and the hepatic fractional clearance; however, not between GPT or gamma-globulin and the other parameters. Further correlation analysis revealed a highly significant partial correlation coefficient between Normotest and albumin and the hepatic clearance; however, not between Normotest and albumin. As effective hepatic blood flow is considered to be proportional to the liver parenchymal volume, the above results indicate that vitamin-K-dependent clotting factors, as well as albumin, reflect the liver cell mass.