Prospects and limitations of using LiMAx test in patients undergoing extended liver resections – a prospective single-centre study

Background Postoperative liver failure (PLF) is a serious complication of extended liver surgery. The need for clinical bedside tests to predict sufficient liver function in the remnant liver tissue after surgery and to monitor liver function and its potential for regeneration is vital to increase the safety of patients in the perioperative setting. Methods The liver maximum capacity (LiMAx) test was prospectively applied both preoperatively (n = 40) and postoperatively (n = 19) for 40 patients who underwent extended liver surgery (≥3 segments). LiMAx values were correlated with liver-specific blood parameters as well as with volumetric analysis regarding their potential as predictors of the clinical outcome and for monitoring the liver functional capacity. Results The majority of patients (n = 33; 82.5%) had high preoperative LiMAx values (> 315 µg/kg/h), while only seven patients (17.5%) had medium values (140–315 µg/kg/h), and none of the patients had low values (