Ultrasound scanning is one of the most informative, safe and painless methods for examining non-invasive patients. Especially, ultrasound is needed to study the state of the abdominal organs, including the liver. Preparation for ultrasound of the liver is not particularly difficult, but gives the doctor in charge a large amount of information necessary for the treatment of many diseases and pathologies of the body.
When
is recommended, a liver ultrasound may be performed for various indications:
- pain in the right upper quadrant;
- enlarged liver upon palpation;
- availability of laboratory data indicating abnormalities in the functioning of the digestive system in general and the liver in particular( cirrhosis, hepatitis, abscess, liver damage by parasites);
- jaundice of the skin;
- ascites( abdominal dropsy);
- specification of the nature of the pathological focus detected by other diagnostic methods;
- abdominal trauma;
- invasive or minimally invasive intervention on the organ under the supervision of ultrasound;
- suspected formation of neoplasms in the liver;
- specification of the number, location and size of metastases in the organ;
- dispensary prophylactic examination;
- exercise ongoing monitoring of the course of treatment of the identified organ disease.
How to prepare
How to prepare for ultrasound of the liver correctly, tell the attending physician or specialist who will conduct the procedure. As a rule, it is better to start preparation in advance so that the results of the survey are as reliable and informative as possible:
- If the ultrasound of the organ is carried out in the morning, it is performed on an empty stomach. The
- ultrasound in the afternoon should be performed after 5-10 hours of complete abstinence from eating.
- In urgent cases, a liver examination is performed without prior preparation.
- The presence of gases in the intestine can create some interference during the examination. Therefore, it is recommended that in a few days before the procedure, you limit your dietary fiber to your diet and completely exclude products that provoke gas formation( legumes, all kinds of cabbage, turnips, carbonated drinks, etc.).If necessary, on the eve of ultrasound, you can take activated charcoal, Espumizan or other medications that reduce flatulence, Festal, Mezim and other enzyme preparations that facilitate digestion.
- In people with a high degree of obesity, the preparation for ultrasound of the liver includes cleansing enemas on the eve of the examination.
Normal indices
A healthy adult body has smooth edges and a uniform structure. Particular attention during the study is drawn to the size and shape of the liver, the location and condition of the bile ducts, large and small blood vessels. The table shows the normal parameters of ultrasound of the liver.
| Indicator | Norm for an adult, cm |
|---|---|
| Anteroposterior size of the right lobe | to 12,5 |
| Anteroposterior size of the left lobe | to 7 |
| Common bile duct | to 0.6-0.8 |
| Diameter of portal vein | to1,3 |
The norm for an adult may differ depending on the sex and physique of a person. Normal indicators of ultrasound of the liver for a child depend on his age.
Deviations from normal sizes of proportions and their ratio, heterogeneity of the organ structure, unevenness and tuberosity of the contour, decrease or increase in echogenicity( ability of soft tissues to reflect the ultrasonic wave), disorganization and impoverishment of blood vessels may indicate various abnormalities in the functioning of the liver or its diseases.
Ultrasound of the liver is able to detect:
- Acute and chronic hepatitis - inflammatory processes of various origins and exciting the entire liver.
- Cirrhosis - irreversible replacement of healthy tissues with stroma( fibrous connective tissue).
- Steatosis - fatty infiltration of the liver or fatty hepatosis, that is, the accumulation of fat in the cells of the body.
- Badda-Chiari syndrome is one of the forms of thrombosis, in which the hepatic or inferior vena cava is blocked.
- Neoplasms of various degrees of good quality( cancer metastases, hepatomas, hemangiomas).
- Cysts and cystic lesions are pathological cavities that have a liquid content( abscess, simple and atypical cysts, parasitic formations).
- Calcite of the liver - deposits in soft tissues of calcium salts.