ICG clearance determined by pulse dye densitometry for liver reserve in hepatic cirrhosis and primary liver carcinoma

Objective To investigate the efficacy of ICG clearance test for hepatic reserve function in patients with hepatic cirrhosis and primary liver carcinoma by pulse dye deusitometry (PDD). Methods Eighty-nine patients with hepatic cirrhosis and forty patients with primary hver carcinoma were enrolled in this study. All patients were classified by Child-Pugh grade. The value of indocyanin green retention at 15 min (ICGRI5) was measured by PDD. Biochemical parameters including CHE, PAB, ALB, PTA and TBA were also examined. Correlation analysis between ICGR15 and those indexes were conducted. Results (1) ICGR15, CHE, TBA, ALB, PTA among Child-Pugh A, B, C in all patients were significantly different (P < 0.05). PAB between Child-Pugh B and A group, C and B group was significantly different (P < 0.05). (2)Increased level of ICGR15 and TBA positively correlated with Child-Pugh scores, while negatively correlated with the level of PTA. The difference of ICGRI5 between Child-Pugh score 5 and score 7, score 9 and score 10 were all significant (P <0.05). (3) The correlation between ICGR15 and other clinical markers is significant. The clinical marker with the best correlation was TBA (r=0.605), was the parameter in most significantly correlated with ICGR15 followed by PTA, CHE, PAB, and ALB (r= -0.598, -0.565, -0.537, -0.424). Conclusion There was good correlation between the clinical markers and the value of ICGR15 which demonstrate superiority to the other indexes. The data also suggested that CHE, TBA, could be used in evaluating liver reserve function. Key words: Liver function test;  Liver neoplasms;  Liver cirrhosis;  Indocyanine green