Abdomen I Ultrasound Image Review

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering abdominal ultrasound pathology, vascular anatomy, sonographic landmarks, and Doppler waveforms.

Fatty Liver

An acquired metabolic disorder characterized by the accumulation of triglycerides within hepatocytes, resulting in an enlarged liver with diffuse increased echogenicity.

Focal Fatty Sparing

Focal regions of normal liver parenchyma within a fatty infiltrated liver that appear hypoechoic and are commonly identified around the gallbladder, dorsal to the gallbladder, anterior to the portal vein bifurcation, dorsal left lobe, caudate lobe, and falciform ligament.

Hepatitis (Ultrasound Findings)

An inflammatory and infectious disease of the liver that may present on ultrasound as normal, enlarged and hypoechoic, or displaying a "starry sky" appearance (also known as the starry night sign).

Klatskin Tumor

A type of cholangiocarcinoma located at the confluence of the hepatic ducts that leads to intrahepatic bile duct dilation.

WES Sign (Wall-Echo-Shadow)

A sonographic sign characterized by extensive posterior acoustic shadowing with visualization limited to the anterior gallbladder wall and the stone's echo, typical of a gallbladder contracted and packed with calculi.

Acalculous Cholecystitis

Inflammation of the gallbladder occurring without the presence of gallstones, often presenting with gallbladder wall thickening and distension.

Focal Nodular Hyperplasia (FNH)

The second most common benign liver tumor, typically characterized on sonography by the presence of a central scar.

Adenomyomatosis

A benign condition characterized by hyperplastic changes in the gallbladder wall that typically displays reverberation or comet-tail artifacts on ultrasound.

Cavernous Hemangioma

The most common benign mass of the liver, classically presenting sonographically as a well-defined, homogeneous hyperechoic lesion.

Cholesterolosis

A condition resulting from lipid deposition within the lamina propria of the gallbladder, known as "strawberry gallbladder," which is frequently associated with the formation of polyps.

Choledocholithiasis

The presence of a calculus in the bile ducts that causes posterior acoustic shadowing; the most common location is the distal common bile duct (CBD).

Water Lily Sign

A pathognomonic ultrasound sign seen in echinococcal (hydatid) cysts of the liver, produced by the detachment and collapse of the endocyst floating within the cystic fluid.

Liver Hematoma

A traumatic or pathologic collection of blood within the liver that typically appears as a hypoechoic area on ultrasound and is clinically associated with decreased hematocrit levels.

Budd-Chiari Syndrome

Thrombosis and occlusion of the hepatic veins, which can extend into the inferior vena cava (IVC), and is associated with the use of oral contraceptives.

Ligamentum Venosum

A fibrous remnant whose fissure separates the left lateral hepatic segment from the caudate lobe.

Falciform Ligament

A peritoneal ligament that extends from the umbilicus to the diaphragm in the sagittal plane, divides the liver into right and left sides, and contains the ligamentum teres within its free edge.

Ligamentum Teres (Round Ligament)

A remnant of the fetal umbilical vein located at the edge of the falciform ligament on the left side of the liver, dividing the left hepatic lobe into medial and lateral segments.

Liver Cirrhosis

Diffuse parenchymal liver disease characterized sonographically by a small, hyperechoic, nodular liver surface, often associated with ascites.

Pneumobilia

The presence of gas or air within the biliary tree, visible sonographically as bright echogenic foci producing dirty shadowing or ring-down artifacts.

Gastroduodenal Artery (GDA) Landmark

A vascular anatomical landmark located anterolateral to the head of the pancreas.

Common Bile Duct (CBD) Pancreatic Landmark

The biliary duct located posterolateral to the head of the pancreas.

Diaphragm (Ultrasound)

A curvilinear, brightly hyperechoic structure defining the posterior and superior border of the liver parenchyma.

Triphasic Hepatic Venous Waveform

The normal Doppler waveform pattern of the hepatic veins comprising (1) one retrograde pulse during atrial contraction (A wave) and (2) two antegrade pulses during ventricular systole (S wave) and ventricular diastole (D wave).

Subcapsular Hematoma

A large, complex traumatic blood collection located beneath the liver capsule, commonly observed following blunt abdominal trauma such as an automobile accident.

Portal Vein Doppler Flow

A low-velocity, continuous, minimally phasic (monophasic) flow directed toward the liver (hepatopetal flow) that varies slightly with respiration, with a normal maximum diameter of approximately $13\,\text{mm}$.