An evaluation of predicting postoperative residual liver function using 99mTc tin colloid

The rate of clearance (K value) of 99mTc tin colloid in the liver differentiates normal subjects from liver cirrhosis patients; so 99mTc tin colloid is as useful as 198Au colloid as a marker of liver function. There are several reports concerning volume estimation using liver scintigraphy. Our original method was devised to measure the effective liver volume by scintigraphy. By combining the K value with effective liver volume, a predictive index was obtained in order to predict the residual liver function before hepatic resection. The index in 24 patients with liver diseases was investigated before hepatic resection. Three of them died due to hepatic failure after hepatic resection. The indices were between 0.40 and 0.45 in two of these three patients and 0.338 in one. Among the patients without hepatic failure, the indices showed more than 0.45 in 19 patients and between 0.40 and 0.45 in two. These results indicate that the limitation of hepatic resection is between 0.40 and 0.45 of the predictive index.