| [ Summary ] |
Ultrasound and CT are major screening modalities for fatty liver conditions. They are useful noninvasive tools for forming diagnoses. The presence of fatty deposits, seen on US indicates increased liver echogenicity. It is helpful to compare liver echogenicity with that of the right kidney. On CT, a charactaristic finding is one of diffuse, decreased attenuation within the liver. The liver is less dense than the spleen. Fatty infiltration of the liver can be diffuse or nonhomogeneous. Sometimes focal fatty infiltration or sparing occur. It is important to differentiate focal fatty changes from hepatic tumors. We often find focal fatty infiltration in the right lobe of the liver, which is an area of increased echogenicity on US or a high attenuation region on CT in lobar or segmental distribution. There is no mass effect on adjacent vessels. Typical locations for sparing areas are the caudate lobe, the quadrate lobe and around the gall fossa. The cause of sparing areas is considered to be related to the distribution of intrahepatic blood flow. |