Determination of a resected or transplanted liver malfunctioning is of capital significance when it comes to selecting the right method of treatment or avoiding unsuspected complications. For that purpose a number of biochemical tests have been introduced, which frequently fail to reflect the actual condition of the organ and can often fall within the norm in spite of a considerable damage. The research carried out in recent years has indicated that a precise determination of the so-called arterial ketone body ratio - AKBR, expressed as a ratio of acetoacetate to β-hydroxybutyrate concentration in arterial blood. AKBR may be treated as a marker of intracellular energy status of the liver or, in a more precise biochemical terminology - the hepatic mitochondrial oxido-recuction state. AKBR is a sensitive indicator of a metabolic ability of an allograft or a resected liver. On the basis of numerous experiments and clinical research it is possible to state that measuring the value of the blood ketone body ratio is very useful in the assessment of liver survival following either a transplantation or a considerable resection of the organ.

Keywords: arterial ketone body ratio, Metabolism, Liver