The modern ultrasound technique helps to accurately assess the size and shape of the liver, to identify neoplasms in it, for example, a cyst or liver cancer, to evaluate the structure and density of the parenchyma in diffuse lesions, etc.
Recently, ultrasound has been widely used as a method that helps to choose the best access for abdominal drainage, liver biopsy and other manipulations.
Ultrasound of the liver is considered a simple, inexpensive and quick method for examining the structure of this organ. There are several cases when an ultrasound scan is performed:
- when there are suspicions of many liver diseases (cirrhosis, hepatitis, etc.);
- if you suspect the appearance of benign or malignant tumors;
- with suspected abscess in the liver or parasites (for example, echinococcosis);
- with trauma to the abdominal cavity;
- to monitor the treatment of diseases.
In this case, the preparation of a liver ultrasound is quite simple.
3 days before the day when liver ultrasound is performed, the patient should exclude black bread, milk, vegetables and fruits, sweet juices and other products that contribute to the appearance of gases in the intestine from the diet. With flatulence, enzyme preparations (panzinorm, festal, etc.) and adsorbents (chamomile infusion, activated carbon, etc.) should be prescribed.
On the eve of the study, in the evening and immediately before the procedure in the morning, two cleansing enemas should be put. However, this procedure is not considered mandatory if the patient has no flatulence.
Before the study, you need to remove jewelry, as well as part of the clothes.
When an ultrasound of the liver is performed, it is required to lie down on the couch. To facilitate the procedure, a slightly heated gel is applied to the skin. With the help of a small hand-held sensor, which is carried through the body in various directions, the doctor scans the organs, the images of which appear on the monitor.
The study is done on holding the breath on inhalation, at this moment the liver drops slightly and becomes more accessible for visualization.
Thus, it becomes possible to visualize the left and right lobes of the liver, as well as other digestive organs.
When an ultrasound of the liver is performed, the doctor draws attention to large vessels (for example, to the portal vein), to the uniformity of the structure of the liver, to small vessels, to the biliary tract, and also measures the size of the lobes of the liver.
When conducting an ultrasound of the liver, decryption is of great importance.
In general, ultrasound is considered an indicative method of diagnosing diseases, which does not establish the disease itself, but those changes in the organ tissue that may well appear against the background of any disease. The combination of all the changes that are established during the ultrasound, and the symptoms that are observed in the patient, makes it possible with a certain degree of confidence to speak about the presence of a disease in the patient.
Ultrasound of the liver usually ends with a scan of the abdominal cavity to detect free fluid in it.
Ideally, the contours of the liver over almost the entire length should be smooth and clear.
Thus, a good ultrasound picture of the liver is characterized by the presence of non-intense, small, relatively far from each other echo signals, echo-negative spaces are preserved between them.
The most common diffuse liver lesions include hepatitis (chronic and acute), cirrhosis and fatty degeneration. The correct diagnosis during ultrasound of the liver is very dependent on a large number of subjective and objective reasons. The first of them can be attributed to the type of device, its resolution, sensitivity, the presence of certain factors that worsen the image (gas in the intestines, obesity, etc.). Of great importance are the professionalism of the specialist and attentiveness when conducting the study.