Chapter 2 The Liver

Key terms

Liver injury resulting from alcohol abuse.

Alcoholic liver disease

An abscess that develops from a parasite that grows i the colon and invades the liver via the portal vein.

Amebic hepatic abscess

The surgical connection between two structures.

Anastomosis

An abnormal passageway between and artery and a vein.

Arteriovenous fistula

Disorders in which the body’s immune system attacks and destroys healthy tissues and or organs.

Autoimmune disorders

An inherited disease that results in the development of renal, liver and pancreatic cysts typically late in life; also referred to as adult polycystic kidney disease.

Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD)

The region of the liver not covered by peritoneum.

The bare area

A growth disorder syndrome synonymous with enlargement of several organs, including the skull, tongue, and liver. Children with this disorder are prone to several childhood cancers including within the liver and kidney.

Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome

A collection of bile within the abdomen; can be intrahepatic or extrahepatic in location.

Biloma

A syndrome described as the occlusion of the hepatic veins, with possible coexisting occlusion of the inferior vena cava.

Budd-Chiari Syndrome

Recognizable dilation of the superficial veins in the abdomen.

Caput medusae

The most common benign liver tumor.

Cavernous hemangioma

Inflammation of the bile ducts.

Cholangitis

Condition defined as hepatocyte death, fibrosis and necrosis of the liver, and the subsequent development of regenerating nodules.

Cirrhosis

The water-soluble form of bilirubin that is excreted into the intestines in bile and excreted in the stool; also referred to as direct bilirubin.

Conjugated bilirubin

Sonographic imaging that includes the injection of a contrast agent intravenously to better enhance the borders of liver lesions and to analyze those lesions for possible signs of malignancy.

Contrast-enhanced (liver) ultrasound.

System used to separate the liver into eight surgical segments/ used to describe functional liver anatomy.

Couinaud System

Syndrome characterized by cirrhosis, portal hypertension and dilation of the umbilical and paraumbilical veins.

Cruveilhier-Baumgarten syndrome

A genetic disorder linked within the development of scar tissue accumulation within in the lungs, liver, pancreas, kidneys and or intestines.

Cystic Fibrosis

A pseudomass of the liver seen on sonography resulting from hypertrophied diaphragmatic muscle bundles.

Diphragmatic slip

Infection of the bowel which leads to diarrhea that may contain mucus and or blood.

Dysentery

A liver cyst that develops from a tapeworm that lives in dog feces; also referred to as echinococcal cyst because it originates from the parasite Echinococcus granulosus.

Echinococcal cyst, AKA Hydatid liver cyst

A parasite responsible for the development of hydatid liver cysts.

Echinococcus Granulosus

The virus responsible for mononucleosis and other potential complications.

Epstein-Barr Virus

Dilated or broken vessels located near the surface of the skin on the face that appears as threadlike red lines, commonly referred to as spider veins.

Facial Telangiectasia

The ligament that attaches the liver to the anterior abdominal wall.

Falciform ligament

A reversible disease characterized by deposits of fat within hepatocytes; also referred to as hepatic steatosis.

Fatty liver

Bad breath secondary to end-stage liver disease and the liver’s inability to filter toxins; often accompanies cirrhosis, portal hypertension and hepatic encephalopathy.

Fetor Hepaticus

Manifestation of fatty liver disease in which fat deposits are localized.

Focal fatty infiltration

Manifestation of fatty liver disease in which an area of the liver is spared from fatty infiltration.

Focal fatty sparing

A benign liver mass composed of a combination of hepatocytes and fibrous tissue that typically contains a central scar.

Focal Nodular Hyperplasia (FNH)

The junction between the stomach and the esophagus.

Gastroesophageal junction

Enlargement of the male breast

Gynecomastia

Vomiting blood

Hematemesis

A localized collection of blood.

Hematoma

An inherited disease characterized by disproportionate absorption of dietary iron.

Hemochromatosis

The formation and development of blood cells.

Hemopoiesis

A hepatic mass that results from the spread of fungus in the blood to the liver.

Hepatic Candidiasis

A condition in which a patient becomes confused or suffers from intermittent loss of consciousness secondary to the overexposure of the brain to toxic chemicals that the liver would normally remove from the body.

Hepatic encephalopathy

Jaundice resulting from the livers inability to conjugate bilirubin; may be caused by conditions such as viral hepatitis, toxins, drugs, cirrhosis and liver cancer

Hepatic jaundice

A reversible disease characterized by deposits of fat within hepatocytes; also referred to as fatty liver.

Hepatic steatoisis

Inflammation of the liver

Hepatitis

A benign liver mass often associated with the use of oral contraceptives.

Heaptocellular adenoma

The primary form of liver cancer

Hepatocellular carcinoma

The malignant tumor associated with hepatocellular carcinoma; primary liver cancer.

Hepatoma

Enlargement of the liver

Hepatomegaly

The development of renal impairment and possible renal failure because of chronic liver disease.

Hepatorenal syndrome

Concurrent enlargement of the spleen and liver

Hepatosplenomegaly

A liver cyst that develops from a tapeworm that lives in dog feces; also referred to as echinococcal cyst because it originates from the parasite Echinococcus granulosus.

Hydatid liver cyst, aka echinococcal cyst

Elevated levels of serum bilirubin

Hyperbilirubinemia

Abnormally high levels of fats within the blood (ie, high cholesterol and high triglycerides).

Hyperlipidemia

Decreased blood volume

Hypovolemia

No recognizable cause, from an unknown origin

Idiopathic

A patient who has a weaked immune system.

Immunocompromised

A rare condition characterized by obstruction of the inferior vena cava by membranous or fibrous bands; can cause obstruction of the hepatic veins leading to Budd-Chiari syndrome.

Inferior Vena Cava Web

Chronic inflammation of all or parts of the bowel

Inflammatory bowel disease

A condition that results from decreased blood flow to the intestines resulting in damaged bowel tissue owing to inadequate oxygenation; also referred to as intestinal ischemia.

Ischemic bowel disease

A broad clinical term referring to the yellowing discoloration of the skin, mucous membranes, and sclerae; found with liver disease/ and or biliary obstruction.

Jaundice

Brain damage from biliary exposure in a newborn with jaundice.

Kernicterus

Specialized macrophages within the liver that engulf pathogens and damaged cells.

Kupffer cells

An elevated white blood cell count

Leukocytosis

A ligament that forms part of the edge of the falciform ligament of the liver, connecting the liver to the umbilicus; a remnant of the left umbilical vein; also referred to as the round ligament of the liver.

Ligamentum teres

A remnant of the fetal ductus venosus; appears as a hypoechoic linear ligament between the caudate lobe and left lobe of the liver.

Ligamentum venosum

A benign fatty tumor.

Lipoma

The development of scar tissue within the liver as a result of the liver repeatedly trying to repair itself.

Liver fibrosis

The area of the liver where the CBD exits the liver and portal vein and hepatic artery enter the liver, also referred to as the porta hepatis.

Liver hilum

A flow pattern that characteristically has antegrade flow throughout the cardiac cycle

Low-resistance flow

Feeling of uneasiness

Malaise

The deterioration of a benign mass into malignancy

Malignant degeneration

The displacement or alteration of normal anatomy that is located adjacent to a tumor.

Mass effect

A condition that includes hypertension, hyperglycemia, excessive body fat around the waist, elevated cholesterol and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Metabolic syndrome

Vascular flow yielding a single phase

Monophasic

Death of tissue

Necrosis

Reddening of the palms

Palmar erythema

An increase in echogenicity of the portal triads as seen in hepatitis and other conditions.

Periportal cuffing

Air within the biliary tree

Pneuomobilia

The area of the liver where the portal vein and hepatic artery enter and the hepatic duct exit; also referred to as the liver hilum.

Porta Hepatis

The elevation of blood pressure within the portal venous system

Portal hypertension

An assembly of a small branch of the portal vein, bile duct, and hepatic artery that surround each liver lobule.

Portal triads

The development of a clot within the portal vein

Portal vein thrombosis

A nodular appearance of the liver caused by multiple metastatic tumors

Pseduocirrhosis

False mass

Pseduomass

A liver abscess that can result from the spread of infection from inflammatory conditions such as appendicitis, diverticulitis, cholecystitis, cholangitis, and endocarditis

Pyogenic liver abscess

The medial segment of the left lobe

Quadrate lobe

The reopening of canals or pathways

Recanalization

A tongue-like extension of the right hepatic lobe.

Riedel Lobe

An illness resulting from another disease, trauma or injury.

Sequela

Twisted or snakelike pattern

Serpiginous

Condition in which the organs of the abdomen and chest are on the opposite sides of the body (e.g., the liver is within the left upper quadrant instead of the right upper quadrant).

Situs inversus

The sonographic sign associated with the appearance of periportal cuffing in which there is an increased echogenicity of the walls of the portal triads.

Starry sky sign

A type of fatty liver disease that causes inflammation of the liver

Steatohepatitis

Procedure in which in individual receives vitamin and nutrients through a vein, often the subclavian vein

Total parental hyperalimentation

The therapy for portal hypertension that involves the placement of a stent between the portal veins and hepatic veins to reduce portal systemic pressure triphasic—vascular flow yielding three phases.

Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic shunt (TIPS)

A condition in which the body does not have the ability to break down glycogen; also referred to as glycogen storage disease type 1

von Gierke disease

A inherited disease that includes the development of cysts within the liver, pancreas, and other organs

von Hippel–Lindau disease

A congenital disorder that causes the body to accumulate excess copper

Wilson disease