Comparison of the clinical characteristics and operation-related factors across the groups
First, we investigated the clinical characteristics and operative outcomes according to each of the procedures. Of the 338 donors, 208 (61.5%) were included in the LLS group, 89 (26.3%) in the LL group, and 41 (12.1%) in the RL group. A comparison of the clinical characteristics and operation-related factors between groups is shown in Table 1. There were significant differences in age and body mass index between groups. There were no significant differences in body surface area and calculated standard liver volume across the groups.
Table 1
Comparison of the clinical characteristics and operation-related factors in the entire cohort.
| All (n = 338) | RL (n = 41) | LL (n = 89) | LLS (n = 208) | P value | RL vs. LL P value | RL vs. LLS P value | LL vs. LLS P value |
Gender, male, n | 166 (49.1) | 17 (41.5) | 46 (51.7) | 103 (49.5) | 0.552 | | | |
Age, year | 35 (20–67) | 44 (24–63) | 42 (20–56) | 33 (23–67) | < 0.001 | 0.205 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
Body height, m | 1.65 (1.46–1.93) | 1.62 (1.52–1.86) | 1.66 (1.48–1.93) | 1.65 (1.46–1.84) | 0.257 | | | |
Body weight, kg | 60.0 (39.0-94.7) | 60.4 (46.9–82.0) | 62.6 (43.0-90.6) | 58.8 (39.0-94.7) | 0.086 | | | |
Body mass index, kg/m2 | 21.9 (17.3–31.4) | 22.5 (18.5–28.3) | 22.3 (17.3–30.8) | 21.5 (17.5–31.4) | 0.016 | > 0.999 | 0.161 | 0.035 |
Body surface area, m2 | 1.65 (1.28–2.15) | 1.63 (1.40–2.06) | 1.69 (1.38–2.12) | 1.64 (1.28–2.15) | 0.153 | | | |
Standard liver volume, mL | 1169 (908–1520) | 1151 (994–1459) | 1198 (980–1502) | 1157 (908–1520) | 0.154 | | | |
Preoperative AST, U/L | 16 (10–51) | 16 (12–33) | 16 (11–51) | 16 (10–46) | 0.649 | | | |
Preoperative ALT, U/L | 15 (5–65) | 15 (8–41) | 15 (5–65) | 16 (6–62) | 0.678 | | | |
Preoperative amylase, U/L | 84 (22–300) | 70 (43–169) | 88 (43–239) | 87 (22–300) | 0.026 | 0.109 | 0.021 | > 0.999 |
Preoperative lipase, U/L | 31 (12–64) | 30 (18–61) | 33 (19–64) | 31 (12–62) | 0.918 | | | |
Operative outcomes | | | | | | | | |
Operation time, min | 327 (167–728) | 398 (253–690) | 367 (214–641) | 293 (167–728) | < 0.001 | 0.027 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
Intraoperative blood loss, mL | 530 (0-3050) | 410 (70-1940) | 800 (122–3050) | 510 (0-2720) | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | 0.413 | < 0.001 |
Graft volume, g | 260 (93–872) | 625 (390–872) | 363 (212–686) | 224 (93–382) | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
Postoperative outcomes | | | | | | | | |
POD1 AST, U/L | 341 (89-2010) | 384 (146–1248) | 361 (147–1397) | 309 (89-2010) | 0.233 | | | |
POD1 ALT, U/L | 404 (82-1864) | 399 (227–1238) | 415 (189–1277) | 385 (82-1864) | 0.644 | | | |
POD1 total bilirubin, mg/dL | 1.52 (0.58–7.07) | 2.58 (1.17–5.33) | 1.58 (0.58–7.07) | 1.42 (0.59–6.13) | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | 0.605 |
Postoperative hospital stay, day | 10 (7–57) | 11 (8–52) | 10 (7–57) | 10 (7–44) | 0.099 | | | |
AST, aspartate transaminase; ALT, alanine transaminase; LL, left lobectomy group; LLS, left lateral sectionectomy group; POD, postoperative day; RL, right lobectomy group. |
In the RL group, operation time was significantly longer compared to other groups. The LL group was significantly associated with a greater amount of intraoperative blood loss. Conversely, there were no significant differences in intraoperative bleeding between the RL group and the LLS group (P = 0.413). Consistently, actual graft volumes were significantly different between the groups (P < 0.001).
Assessment of preoperative serum amylase and lipase values
A comparison of the preoperative serum amylase and lipase during the perioperative period across the groups is shown in Fig. 1. There was a significant difference in the preoperative serum amylase levels between the LLS group and the RL group (Fig. 1a). There were no significant differences in comparisons among the other groups. Because the LLS group was significantly younger than the RL group (Table 1), we analyzed the correlation between age and preoperative amylase levels. We found a slight negative correlation there (r = -0.097, P = 0.074) (Fig. 1b). In contrast, there were no significant differences in the preoperative serum lipase levels across the groups (Fig. 1c). Moreover, there was no correlation between age and preoperative lipase levels (Fig. 1d).
The RL group shows a more significant increase in amylase and lipase after surgery
Next, we clarified the chronological changes in amylase and lipase after hepatectomy (Fig. 2) and compared them across the groups (Supplemental Fig. 1). The amylase values peaked on the day after surgery. They quickly returned to preoperative levels on POD 3 (Fig. 2a). Postoperative amylase levels in the RL group were higher than those in other groups. The pattern of chronological change was similar for all three groups (Fig. 2b).
In contrast, the lipase increase on the day after hepatectomy was mild. Notably, the highest postoperative lipase levels were often found at POD 7. In the RL group, especially, there was an initial small increase, a decrease, and then a significant increase again (Fig. 2c). These results indicated the presence of a bimodal peak in the postoperative lipase dynamics of the RL group (Fig. 2d).
Based on the differences in the preoperative amylase values, we further examined the relative values to the preoperative values. In the RL group, the amylase value increased 1.5-fold on POD 1 compared to those of before surgery (Supplemental Fig. 1). On POD 1, there was a significant difference between the RL group and the LLS group (P = 0.024). In the comparison of relative values, the higher values in the RL group were more remarkable than in the other groups. Likewise, in comparing relative values of lipase, the higher values in the RL group were more noticeable than in the other groups. Surprisingly, the lipase values increased 4.2-fold on POD 7 in the RL group. The RL groups showed a significant 2-fold increase compared to the LLS group (P < 0.001) (Supplemental Fig. 1).
Effect of liver resection on postoperative lipase homeostasis may persist for several weeks
Next, we assessed the clinical significance of amylase and lipase values on POD 7. Figure 3 shows the percentage of cases with abnormal values in the measurements on POD 7. In the measurement of amylase, abnormal values are found in approximately 25% of the cases (34/134). In the RL group, 45% of cases showed abnormal values. Regarding lipase, approximately 75% of the cases (80/106) exhibited abnormal values on POD 7. Abnormal values were observed in more than 80% of cases after right or left lobectomy. These observations suggested that the effect of liver resection on postoperative lipase homeostasis may persist for several weeks. Therefore, although we were not able to evaluate all the cases, we assessed lipase levels at approximately four weeks after surgery. Consequently, many of the cases showed a trend toward improvement at one month after surgery (Fig. 3c).
Negative correlation between the remnant liver volume and pancreatic impairment
The above data suggest a greater effect on pancreatic homeostasis in the RL group with larger resected liver volume. To clarify the relationship between the remnant liver volume and pancreatic impairment, we performed a correlation test. The ratio of remnant to total liver volume was calculated using the following formula: (standard liver volume - resected volume) /standard liver volume. As a result, we found a significant moderate negative correlation among them (Fig. 4).
Risk factor for abnormal amylase and lipase values on POD 7
To seek the risk factor for the abnormal values on POD 7, we performed a binary logistic regression analysis. Significant variables linked with the abnormal lipase levels, which were found through a univariate analysis (P < 0.05), as listed in Supplemental Table 1, were entered into a binary regression analysis. Binary logistic regression indicated that the preoperative lipase value was a significant predictor of the abnormal lipase value on POD 7 (Wald = 8.610, P = 0.003). The odds ratio (OR) was 1.128 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.041–1.223). Regarding the abnormal amylase values on POD 7, the graft volume was significant at the 5% level (Wald = 9.306, P = 0.002). The OR was 1.006 (95% CI: 1.002–1.009) (Supplemental Table 2). Collectively, these results suggest that the greater the amount of liver resected, the greater the impact on the pancreas.
No synergistic effect of aging on the amylase and lipase values on POD 7
We examined whether the effect of resection volume on pancreatic enzyme levels varied with age. A bubble plot consisting of remnant liver volume, age, pancreatic enzyme levels on POD 7, and graft type is shown in Fig. 5. In addition, we analyzed the correlation between age and pancreatic function tests on POD 7 in the RL group (Supplemental Fig. 2). In the present cohort, the synergistic effect of aging was not obvious.
Implications from the correlation between postoperative liver and pancreatic dysfunction
To draw a definitive conclusion, direct evidence of the relationship between pancreatic impairment and portal vein pressure after hepatectomy would be ideal. However, continuous measurement of portal vein pressure during the perioperative period was not ethically feasible in living donors. Portal venous pressure increase after hepatectomy has recently been documented to correlate with liver dysfunction.13 Thus, we assessed the association between liver and pancreas dysfunction following hepatectomy. We examined the correlation between serum bilirubin levels, a representative marker of postoperative liver dysfunction, on POD 7 and amylase levels on POD 7. A significant positive correlation was observed (r = 0.245, P = 0.005) (Fig. 6a). Similarly, there was a significant positive correlation between serum bilirubin levels on POD 7 and lipase levels on POD 7 (r = 0.330, P < 0.001) (Fig. 6b). In summary, our findings underscore the link between postoperative liver and pancreatic dysfunction. These results indicate that clinicians need to be aware of the potential for pancreatic dysfunction in patients showing signs of postoperative liver dysfunction.