Computed tomography-based morphologic changes and their association with liver function parameters in chronic liver disease
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55629/pakjpathol.v37i1.990Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the association between computed tomography (CT) based morphologic features of chronic liver disease (CLD) and liver function parameters in patients with CLD.
Material and Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional analytical study was conducted at Bahawal Victoria Hospital and Quaid-e-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur, from January to December 2025. Consecutive adults with clinically suspected or established CLD who underwent multiphasic contrast-enhanced abdominal CT and had liver function tests available within 7 days were included. CT findings included cirrhosis, ascites (graded), splenomegaly, portal vein thrombosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma assessed using standardized criteria. Laboratory parameters included ALT, AST, bilirubin, albumin, INR, and platelet count. Associations between CT findings and laboratory parameters were assessed, and multivariable binary logistic regression was performed for liver dysfunction.
Results: Fifty participants were included; 28 (56.0%) were female and 41 (82.0%) met the liver dysfunction definition. Cirrhosis (rho = −0.347, p = 0.013) and ascites grade (rho = −0.294, p = 0.038) correlated with lower albumin, while splenomegaly correlated with lower platelet count (rho = −0.610, p < 0.001). Other associations were not significant. Hepatocellular carcinoma showed complete separation (all cases met the dysfunction definition) and was excluded from the regression model. No CT feature remained independently associated and cirrhosis showed a borderline association (OR 5.17, p = 0.070).
Conclusion: Routine multiphasic CT findings showed meaningful associations with selected laboratory indicators of liver dysfunction and portal hypertension in CLD. Larger multicenter studies are needed to validate these findings.
Keywords: Ascites, Chronic liver disease, Computed tomography, Portal hypertension, Splenomegaly
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