Indications for liver ultrasound

Indications for liver ultrasound are a list of a number of parameters, clinical symptoms and laboratory data. Liver ultrasound scanning is an integral part of the gastroenterological diagnostics complex. Ultrasound of such a multifunctional organ helps the doctor to assess the condition, structure, pathological changes in the liver, compare the obtained data with the norm, and the examination also allows you to determine the diameter of the gallbladder ducts.

General indications for liver ultrasound:

• Any data – laboratory, clinical, anamnestic, which indicate a change in the condition of the liver;
• Pain in the right abdominal region;
• Suspected neoplasms in the liver;
• Identification and specification of the etiology of a pathological focus that was detected by other diagnostic methods;
• Evaluation and prognosis regarding metastases – their size, location, quantity;
• Portal hypertension (increased blood flow);
• Percutaneous puncture (interventional procedure) to clarify the focal lesion;
• Polycystic disease;
• Presumed abscess;
• Echinococcosis (helminthiasis);
• Gynecological diseases;
• Signs of ascites;
• Any injuries to the epigastric region;
• Monitoring therapeutic efficacy in liver treatment;
• Dispensary examinations (preventive).

Echography is deservedly recognized as an important and fairly accurate method of screening organs related to the abdominal cavity. Among the number of similar studies, liver ultrasound ranks among the first. This is explained by the fact that the liver is a “grateful” object for ultrasound scanning: its parenchyma is recognized as the standard for preparing and setting up all study parameters. In terms of structure, a normal liver should be uniform (homogeneous), it has better echogenic (reflecting a signal) properties than the kidney parenchyma. It is for this reason that the indications for liver ultrasound are so wide. The informative value of liver echography is beyond doubt and helps the doctor make an accurate diagnosis to prescribe effective therapy.

Indications for liver ultrasound may be variable and atypical for gastroenterological practice, but it is precisely such non-standard actions that help differentiate clinical manifestations of unclear etiology (cause).

Echography (ultrasound) of the liver reveals the following diseases:

• Hepatitis;
• Location and number of secondary pathological foci (metastases);
• Number and size of cysts;
• Cirrhosis, its stages;
• Benign formations (hemangiomas);
• Calcifications;
• Endophlebitis of the hepatic veins (Budd-Chiari syndrome)
• Pathology of the vascular system of the portal vein (portal hypertension);
• Malignant tumor (hepatoma);
• Fatty infiltration (steatosis).

Ultrasound examination does not reveal the disease, but shows quite clearly pathological deviations in the structure, tissues, and functioning of the liver, developing as a consequence of the disease.

Indications for ultrasound of the liver, unfortunately, coincide with the pathologies that the study seeks to identify. A brief list and description of problems diagnosed with ultrasound:

• Hepatitis is chronic, with unclear symptoms and a sluggish course. Echography reveals an enlarged liver, a parenchyma of a heterogeneous structure due to a fibrous or inflammatory process, and an unclear vascular pattern;
• Hepatitis in acute form. The liver also increases in size, its density, structure is disturbed, heterogeneous, there are tissue edemas;
• Cirrhosis of various etiologies. Liver tissue is sclerosed, its size is increased if cirrhosis has just begun to develop, at later stages the liver is reduced. The lobes are uneven, have uneven and unclear contours. The parenchyma also loses its homogeneity, there are nodes similar to foci. Portal hypertension, hepatomegaly are possible, the splenic vein greatly increases in size as well as the spleen itself;
• Steatosis (fatty infiltration) of alcoholic etiology, among the causes may be diabetes or excess weight, as well as drug intoxication. The liver is enlarged, the vascular pattern is unclear;
• Violation of venous outflow (Budd-Chiari syndrome). Narrowing of the lumen of the hepatic veins, general insufficient clarity of viewing the veins (specified by angiography);
• Malignant pathology - metastases, which are more common than the primary oncological process in the liver. Unfortunately, metastases are rarely single, as a rule, they are multiple (in 90% of cases);
• Carcinoma or hepatoma is a life-threatening malignant oncologic process in the liver, which progresses rapidly. It is often a consequence of hepatitis, diffuse pathologies and cirrhosis;
• Benign tumors - hemangiomas, more common in women. They occur without obvious symptoms, can be capillary or cavernous. Ultrasound is the first stage of the examination, which is supplemented by MRI (CT), as well as control echography after six months;
• Echinococcosis (helminthiasis), cysts, abscesses, simple and atypical. Simple forms are diagnosed using ultrasound with high accuracy;
• Consequences of infections, most often bacterial ones - calcifications. Calcifications are provoked by malaria, amebiasis, giardiasis, tuberculosis. They are quickly and accurately diagnosed using ultrasound.

Indications for liver ultrasound may be based on subjective complaints of the patient himself, in addition, any deviations from the norm in biochemical analyses are a reason for echography. Ultrasound examinations are very important for children, since they cannot correctly assess and describe their condition, especially concerning the liver, here a competent, attentive doctor comes to the rescue and, of course, a full diagnostic complex, including ultrasound.

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