Although a reduced liver size in elderly people has long been recognized from post-mortem studies, these studies do not allow the separation of true ‘age-related’ differences from the effects of premorbid illness, and death. An age-related effect was confirmed however by an in vivo study which measured liver size by ultrasound scanning of healthy individuals. This demonstrated a significant negative correlation between age and liver volume, with volumes being 28% lower in individuals above the age of 65 compared with those under 40 years of age.