The U.K. Society of Radiographers (SoR) is highlighting six key points radiographers should keep in mind when assessing liver disease with ultrasound.
In an article posted on SoR's website on 12 June, Jamie Wild of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust outlined the following protocol:
- Look for steatosis/fatty change, fatty infiltration.
- Assess the echotexture.
- Use a high-frequency probe to evaluate the liver capsule for undulations; lobulation of the capsule is a strong predicting factor of fibrosis.
- Assess the organ's size, checking for atrophy, which is common in severe fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatomegaly.
- Use Doppler to evaluate portal vein flow (normal range is between 20 cm/s to 40 cm/s); low velocities may indicate portal hypertension.
- Understand and make use of liver function test results.
