Quantitative testing of liver function in patients with cirrhosis due to chronic hepatitis C to assess disease severity.
OBJECTIVE
Quantitative testing of liver function (QTLF) may allow a prognostic assessment of patients with various liver diseases. However, there are insufficient data about patients with liver cirrhosis due to hepatitis C.


METHODS
86 consecutive patients (58 males, 28 females, age: 48.3 +/- 11.7 years) with chronic hepatitis C (HCV RNA pos.) underwent sonographically guided liver biopsy to confirm the diagnosis of cirrhosis. QTLF included aminopyrine breath test (microsomal liver function), galactose elimination capacity (cytosolic liver function), sorbitol clearance (liver plasma flow) and indocyanine green clearance (liver perfusion). Values were correlated with the Child-Pugh classification.


RESULTS
55% of the patients (n=47) had cirrhosis of Child-Pugh grade A, 28% of grade B (n=24) and 17% of grade C (n=15). QTLF showed a steady decrease from Child-Pugh grade A to grade B and to grade C. Contrary to markedly reduced tests of metabolic liver function in Child-Pugh grade patients, surrogate tests of hepatic perfusion were at the lower normal limit. All QTLF were significantly reduced in Child-Pugh grade B and C patients compared to healthy controls. Differences between the three Child grades were significant.


CONCLUSIONS
In patients with cirrhosis due to hepatitis C, QTLF correlated inversely with Child-Pugh grades. Since in cirrhosis of grade A, surrogate tests of hepatic perfusion remained at the lower normal limit, whereas those of metabolic function were decreased, QTLF may be a tool to predict prognosis or complications in early cirrhosis due to chronic hepatitis C.
Herold
C
C
Dept of Medicine I, University of Erlangen-Nuernberg, Germany. christoph.herold@med1.med.uni-erlangen.de
Heinz
R
R
Radespiel-Tröger
M
M
Schneider
H T
HT
Schuppan
D
D
Hahn
E G
EG
D000632:Aminopyrine / Q000378:metabolism; D001706:Biopsy; D001944:Breath Tests; D005260:Female; D005690:Galactose / Q000378:metabolism; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007208:Indocyanine Green / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D008862:Microsomes, Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013012:Sorbitol / Q000378:metabolism; D014463:Ultrasonography
D000632:Aminopyrine; D013012:Sorbitol; D007208:Indocyanine Green; D005690:Galactose