CT Volumetry and Hepatic Vascular Deformation Mapping to Predict Post-Hepatectomy Liver Failure

Removing a large part of the liver (major hepatectomy) can cure primary and secondary liver cancers, but it carries the risk of post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF), a serious complication in which the liver left behind - the future liver remnant (FLR) - cannot meet the body's metabolic needs. PHLF occurs after roughly 5% to 15% of major hepatectomies and is the leading cause of postoperative death. Before surgery, surgeons routinely use CT scans to measure how much liver will remain (CT volumetry). Volume alone does not tell the whole story. After a large resection the remaining liver can rotate and shift into the empty space left behind, kinking or compressing the veins that drain it. The resulting congestion can make an apparently adequate remnant fail. This prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study tests whether adding two elements to standard CT volumetry improves the preoperative prediction of liver failure: 1. Hepatic vascular deformation mapping (VDM), a three-dimensional image-analysis technique that quantifies the geometry and displacement of the hepatic veins and the portal vein; and 2. A set of simple, reproducible measurements that any radiologist can make on a standard CT scan (hepatic vein diameters, congestion index, spleen volume, liver attenuation, and the distances from the veins to the planned resection plane). Consecutive adults undergoing major hepatic resection (three or more Couinaud segments) at several tertiary hepatobiliary centers will be enrolled. The preoperative CT scans already performed as part of routine care are analyzed centrally by a core imaging laboratory. There is no additional imaging, no extra hospital visit, and no study-specific intervention: every patient receives standard surgical care. Participants are followed for at least 30 days after surgery to record liver failure (International Study Group of Liver Surgery criteria, operationalized by the "50-50" rule on postoperative day 5) and radiologic evidence of hepatic congestion. Three nested prediction models are compared - volumetry alone; volumetry plus VDM; and volumetry plus VDM plus the simple radiology parameters - and the best-performing model is converted into a practical risk score. Because the study runs across several centers, the model can be validated by leaving one center out at a time, which gives an honest estimate of how well it would perform at a new hospital. The goal is a generalizable, easy-to-use tool that tells surgeons, before the operation, which patients are genuinely at risk of post-hepatectomy liver failure.

Sex

All

Minimum age

18 Years

Inclusion Criteria:

* Age 18 years or older
* Scheduled to undergo major hepatic resection, defined as the removal of three or more Couinaud segments, at a participating center
* Availability of a preoperative multiphasic contrast-enhanced CT of the liver of quality sufficient for central core-laboratory analysis
* Willing and able to complete postoperative clinical and laboratory follow-up for at least 30 days
* Written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

* Minor hepatic resection (fewer than three Couinaud segments)
* Significant pre-existing vascular anomaly or vascular pathology (for example, portal vein thrombosis)
* Emergency hepatic resection for trauma
* Preoperative imaging that fails central quality control
* Incomplete follow-up data

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