This is an automatically translated article.
The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Nguyen Quang Duc - Doctor of Nuclear Medicine - Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine - Vinmec Times City International General Hospital. The doctor has more than 12 years of experience in the field of Diagnostic Imaging.Liver ultrasound is a common imaging method, using ultrasound waves through a special transducer placed on the patient's abdomen to observe images of the liver in black and white. Liver ultrasound can help doctors detect abnormalities in the liver, so what does an ultrasound scan of the liver with hypoechoic mass reflect?
1. What is liver ultrasound?
Liver ultrasound is an imaging method to detect the type of liver damage a patient is experiencing.Liver ultrasound shows liver damage, assesses fatty liver, detects abscesses, flukes, cysts, liver tumors... and assesses the severity of the disease, thereby giving provide appropriate treatment.
Siêu âm gan thấy được các tổn thương của gan, đánh giá tình trạng gan cũng như đánh giá mức độ nặng nhẹ của bệnh
2. What can a liver ultrasound show?
Liver ultrasound helps to diagnose abnormal liver diseases, either alone or in combination with general abdominal ultrasound. Some diseases can be detected through liver ultrasound including: hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver cancer, fatty liver... Liver ultrasound images of acute or chronic hepatitis are lesions. on liver parenchyma, liver size may be larger than normal. In patients with fatty liver, the image obtained on ultrasound of the liver is partial or total enhancement of the liver, suggesting an accumulation of fatty tissue within the hepatocytes. size changes and parenchymal abnormalities. In the early stages of cirrhosis, the liver may increase in size, but the later cirrhosis, the smaller the liver is accompanied by the appearance of small nodules, less than 1cm in diameter. In addition, liver ultrasound also detects ascites, varicose veins, and splenomegaly, which are dangerous complications of cirrhosis. With liver cancer, liver ultrasound plays a very important role, helping to detect abnormal tumors, orienting for early diagnosis and treatment. In addition to the common diseases above, liver ultrasound also helps diagnose liver abscesses, liver flukes, liver cysts, benign tumors...3. Significance of ultrasound results of liver with hypoechoic mass
In the liver ultrasound results will often describe whether the liver has a hypoechoic mass or not. If the results describe a hypoechoic mass or nodule in the liver, it can be suspected that a tumor is in the liver. However, through ultrasound of the liver, the hypoechoic mass cannot be definitively diagnosed as a benign or malignant tumor. . Ultrasound of the liver with hypoechoic mass has high value in providing preliminary information, orienting the treating physician to combine other factors such as symptoms and clinical examination, medical history, laboratory tests. other (such as abdominal CT, liver cancer markers...) to accurately diagnose the nature of the tumor as benign or malignant.
Trong kết quả siêu âm gan thường sẽ miêu tả siêu âm gan có khối giảm âm hay không
4. Characteristics of liver tumors
Liver tumors are similar to other tumors, including 2 types, benign and malignant, in which malignant liver tumors will be more dangerous than benign tumors, and most patients in the late stages will die very quickly. .Therefore, the most important thing is to detect the disease early so that timely treatment measures can be taken to avoid dangerous complications.
4.1. Benign liver tumors Some common benign tumors in the liver include hemangiomas, adenomas, benign nodular hyperplasia, liver cysts... Most of the cases of benign tumors usually grow slowly, without any other symptoms. The symptoms are clear and do not cause any discomfort to the patient. Most were discovered incidentally through general abdominal ultrasonography with hypoechoic liver mass and negative tumor markers. The majority of benign liver tumors are not dangerous to patients, so the basic treatment of benign liver tumors is mainly reasonable living and periodic monitoring to detect abnormal signs of the tumor. A small number of cases may require intervention when there is a complication of rupture or bleeding in the tumor. 4.2. Malignant liver tumor Malignant liver tumor, also known as primary liver cancer, is a dangerous disease that can threaten the life of patients if detected at a late stage. Patients with liver cancer often experience signs such as pain in the right upper quadrant, yellow skin, yellow eyes, weakness, weight loss, poor diet... In some cases, a tumor may also be recorded. small in the right hypochondrium. Ultrasound of the liver with hypoechoic mass is considered an initial suggestion before conducting other tests to confirm the diagnosis of liver cancer. Currently, there are many possible causes of liver cancer. In which the most common are hepatitis B, virus C, hepatitis caused by alcohol abuse leading to cirrhosis and development of malignant liver tumors. In addition, liver cancer can also be congenital Fibrolamellar tumor (also known as flattened cell liver cancer). Primary liver cancer is a disease that can cause rapid death if the disease is detected at an advanced stage. late. Therefore, to limit this dangerous risk, patients need to detect the disease early through liver ultrasound with hypoechoic mass and positive liver cancer marker.
Ung thư gan nguyên phát là bệnh lý có thể gây tử vong nhanh nếu phát hiện bệnh ở giai đoạn muộn
5. Notes when performing liver ultrasound
Some notes before conducting liver ultrasound:About 1 week before liver ultrasound, patients need to limit eating foods that are difficult to digest, greasy. Replace with frugal foods so as not to put pressure on the liver. Should do liver ultrasound in the morning, completely fasting for the most accurate ultrasound results. Vinmec International General Hospital is one of the hospitals that not only ensures professional quality with a team of leading doctors, modern equipment and technology, but also stands out for its examination and consulting services. and comprehensive, professional medical treatment; civilized, polite, safe and sterile medical examination and treatment space. Customers when choosing to perform tests and treat diseases here can be completely assured of the accuracy and high efficiency in the treatment process.
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