Hepatomegaly
Updates to Article Attributes
Body
was changed:
Hepatomegaly refers to an increase in size or enlargement of the liver.
Pathology
Aetiology
Hepatomegaly can result from a vast range of pathology including, but not limited to, the following:
- malignancy/cellular infiltrate
-
acquired hepatic conditions
- fatty infiltration
- cirrhosis - early
- secondary haemochromatosis
- hepatic amyloidosis
- hepatic veno-occlusive disease
- sarcoidosis
- infectious mononucleosis
- primary biliary cirrhosis
- acquired non hepatic conditions
-
congenital anomalies
- biochemical
- anatomical
- syndromes
Radiographic features
Assessment of liver size in commonly made on ultrasound or CT, although gross hepatomegaly may be apparent on plain film imaging.
A liver that is longer than 15.5cm in the mid-clavicular line is considered enlarged, however in practice assessment is often subjective. Features that support hepatomegaly include 1:
- extension of the right lobe inferior to the lower pole of the right kidney
- rounding of the hepatic inferior border
Differential diagnosis
- Riedel's lobe (normal variant)
See also
-<li><a href="/articles/hepatic_veno-occlusive_disease">hepatic veno-occlusive disease</a></li>- +<li><a href="/articles/hepatic-veno-occlusive-disease">hepatic veno-occlusive disease</a></li>
-<li><a href="/articles/missing">Niemann-Pick disease</a></li>- +<li><a title="Niemann-Pick disease" href="/articles/niemann-pick-disease">Niemann-Pick disease</a></li>
-<li>extension of the right lobe inferior to the lower pole of the right <a title="Kidney anatomy" href="/articles/kidneys">kidney</a>- +<li>extension of the right lobe inferior to the lower pole of the right <a href="/articles/kidneys">kidney</a>
Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.