Liver Function in Areas of Hepatic Venous Congestion After Hepatectomy for Liver Cancer: 99mTc-GSA SPECT/CT Fused Imaging Study

Background/Aim: The sacrifice of a major hepatic vein can cause hepatic venous congestion (HVC). We evaluated the effects of HVC on regional liver function using the liver uptake value (LUV), that was calculated from Tc-99m-labeled-galactosyl-human-serum-albumin ((99m)TcGSA) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) /contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT) fused images. Patients and Methods: Sixty-two patients underwent Tc-99m-GSA SPECT/CE-CT prior to hepatectomy for liver cancer and at 7 days after surgery were divided into groups with (n=8) and without HVC (n=54). In the HVC group, CT volume (CTv) and LUV were separately calculated in both congested and non-congested areas. Results: The remnant LUV/CTv of the HVC group was significantly smaller than that of the non-HVC group (p<0.01). The mean functional ratio was 0.47 +/- 0.05, and all ratios were >= 0.39. Conclusion: After hepatectomy with sacrifice of major hepatic vein, liver function per unit volume in the congested areas was approximately 40% of that in the non-congested areas.