Development and validation of a simplified CT volumetry for estimating total liver volume in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney and liver disease.

BACKGROUND: Accurate liver volume measurement is crucial for evaluating liver cyst severity and treatment efficacy in polycystic liver disease (PLD). Previous methods are impractical because they are time-consuming and labor-intensive. This study developed and validated two simplified CT imaging methods: the Bi-axial Simplified Measurement Method (BASiM) and the Quadri-dimensional Simplified Measurement Method (QDSiM).

METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed 76 CT images from 26 PLD patients who underwent transarterial hepatic artery embolization (TAE). Images were obtained before TAE, 24 weeks after TAE and during the follow-up period. Liver volumes were measured using semi-automatic volumetry, BASiM, and QDSiM. BASiM calculates liver volume based on cranio-caudal, anterior-posterior, and medial-lateral dimensions, while QDSiM divides the liver into left- and right-side sections. This study assessed inter-assessor reliability, measurement accuracy, volume change rate, and calculation times.

RESULTS: BASiM demonstrated strong inter-assessor reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]: 0.991, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.986-0.994) superior to QDSiM (ICC: 0.851, 95% CI 0.205-0.949). Calibrated liver volumes using BASiM and QDSiM were consistent with semi-automatic volumetry (ICC: 0.924, 95% CI 0.858 to 0.957, and ICC: 0.934, 95% CI 0.806-0.970, respectively). BASiM showed better alignment with volume changes (ICC: 0.835, 95% CI 0.537-0.927) compared to QDSiM (ICC: 0.607, 95% CI 0.203-0.800) and required less measurement time (61 ± 4 s vs. 107 ± 9 s, p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION: BASiM provided superior reliability, accuracy, and efficiency for liver volume measurement in PLD, thus useful for the clinical management of PLD.