Postoperative urinary ulinastatin secretion and renal function in hepatectomized patients with and without liver cirrhosis

: We compared ulinastatin secretion into urine with renal function during postoperative period in three groups, hepatectomized group with liver cirrhosis (LC(+), n = 7), hepatectomized group without liver cirrhosis (LC(-), n = 4) and subtotal gastrectomized group with normal liver function (GR, n = 7). In LC(+) group, N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) increased above normal upper limit throughout the postoperative period. Ulinastatin (UTI) also increased but the increase was not remarkable. In LC(-) group, NAG increase but not significantly compared with the preoperative value. UTI increased from 5.8 +/- 3.0 IU.mg x Cr-1 to 30.8 +/- 16.6 IU.mg x Cr-1 and 39.9 +/- 9.0 IU. mg x Cr-1 on the 1st and 3rd postoperative day respectively. In GR group, there was no change in NAG value. UTI on the 3rd postoperative day increased significantly (from 10.0 +/- 7.7 to 75.4 +/- 39.0 IU.mg x Cr-1). A small urinary secretion of UTI and increased NAG during postoperative period in LC(+) group suggest that UTI might play an important role in postoperative renal dysfunction in patients with liver cirrhosis.