Liver function declines with increased age

Introduction: Age itself is not considered a contraindication for high impact surgery. However, the aging process of the liver remains largely unknown. This study evaluates age-dependent changes in liver function using a quantitative liver function test. Methods: Between January 2005 and December 2014, 508 patients underwent Tc-99m-mebrofenin hepatobiliary scintigraphy (HBS) for the assessment of liver function. These included 203 patients with healthy livers (group A) and 57 patients with HCC and Child-Pugh A (group B). Tc-99m-mebrofenin-uptakerate of the whole liver corrected for body surface area (cMUR) was calculated for all patients. Linear regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between age and cMUR. Results: The mean cMUR was 8.50 +/- 2.05%/min/m(2) and 6.94 +/- 2.03%/min/m(2) in group A and B, respectively. A negative linear correlation was found between patient's age and cMUR in group A, r = 0.244, p = 0.000. In group B, there was no correlation between age and cMUR, however, a trend in decline of liver function with age was noted. Conclusion: This study shows that liver function deteriorates with age. Since the regenerative capacity of the liver correlates with liver function, this finding should be taken into account when assessing surgical risk in patients considered for major liver resection.