Noninvasive Evaluation of Liver Function in Morbidly Obese Patients

Background. More than half of the obese patients develop nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which may further progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to assess alterations in liver function in obese patients with a noninvasive liver function test. Methods. In a prospective cohort study 102 morbidly obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery were evaluated for their liver function. Liver function capacity was determined by the LiMAx (R) test (enzymatic capacity of cytochrome P450 1A2). Liver biopsy specimens were obtained intraoperatively and classified according to the NAFLD Activity Score (NAS). NASH clinical score was additionally calculated from laboratory and clinical parameters. Results. Median liver function capacity was 286 (IQR=141) g/kg/h. 27% of patients were histologically categorized as definite NASH, 39% as borderline, and 34% as not NASH. A significant correlation was observed between liver function capacity and NAS (r=-0.492; p