To evaluate a degree of liver fibrosis of chronic liver disease quantitatively, we applied the fibrotic ratio (%) that was obtained by calculating fibrotic areas of bioptic liver specimens collected from 102 hepatitis C patients by using computer graphics softwares. The fibrotic ratio increased significantly in accordance with the deterioration of chronic liver disease; mean fibrotic ratios of chronic hepatitis (F
0, F
1, F
2, F
3: Inuyama 1995), compensate LC, decompensated LC and mortal cases from liver failure were about 0.5%, 3%, 7%, 11%, 17%, 29% and 62% respectively. Mean fibrotic ratios of the patients with splenomegaly, HCC, varices, ascites and hepatic encephalopathy were 24%, 32%, 35%, 38% and 40% respectively.
Next we examined the relationships between fibrotic ratio and biochemical liver function tests. The fibrotic ratio correlated not only with fibrotic markers; type 4 collagen 7s and platelet, but also with liver functional markers; prothrombin time, total bilirubin, albumin, ICG R
15 and so on. Moreover, the multivariate analysis showed that the fibrotic ratio could be predicted fairly well from the combination of four factors; prothrombin time, total bilirubin, albumin and ICG R
15.
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