Hepatic fibrosis as a predictor of hepatic regenerative activity after partial hepatectomy in the rat.

Liver regeneration is an essential component of the recovery period after partial hepatectomy. Unfortunately, tests that accurately predict regenerative activity in the postoperative period have yet to be described. This study was designed to determine whether the extent of hepatic fibrosis correlates with liver regeneration activity after partial hepatectomy in rats with carbon tetrachloride-induced liver disease. Two groups of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (12 to 30/group) were treated for 20 to 22 wk with weekly intragastric doses of carbon tetrachloride or vehicle. All rats then underwent 70% hepatectomy while under ether anesthesia. Liver regeneration activity was determined at 24 and 48 hr by [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA. Hepatic fibrosis was calculated at the time of partial hepatectomy by automated image analysis on Van Gieson-stained liver tissue. Although a significant inverse correlation was found between the extent of hepatic fibrosis and DNA synthesis when all rats were considered (carbon tetrachloride-treated and vehicle-treated) at 24 and 48 hr after partial hepatectomy (r = -0.4943 and -0.7396, respectively; p < 0.05), no such correlation existed when carbon tetrachloride-treated rats were considered independently (r = -0.3231 and -0.0910 at 24 and 48 hr, respectively). In conclusion, we believe that in diseased livers, preoperative quantitation of hepatic fibrosis on automated image analysis does not serve as a useful predictor of liver regeneration activity.