Criteria in ultrasound diagnosis of hepatitis

Ultrasound is a non-invasive, highly sensitive imaging tool in hepatobiliary diseases. For patients with acute and chronic hepatitis, liver ultrasound helps to assess the size and visible lesions of the liver.

Liver ultrasound is a method to help identify lobes, segments and subsegments of the liver based on the relationship between the aorta, inferior vena cava, portal vein and superior hepatic vein. Through the ultrasound results, the doctor can detect and evaluate the types of liver damage as well as the fatty liver status of the patient. In addition, diseases such as liver abscesses, liver flukes, hepatitis, liver cysts, liver tumors,... can also be detected through ultrasound images of the liver.

For patients with acute and chronic hepatitis, liver ultrasound helps to assess the size and visible lesions of this organ. In fatty liver disease, an enhanced image of part or all of the liver parenchyma also helps to assess the patient's condition. For cirrhosis, ultrasound will be based on the size and parenchyma of the liver, in the late stage, the ultrasound can also see the liver with small and medium nodular shape less than 1 cm in diameter. In addition, ultrasound can also detect the consequences of cirrhosis such as ascites, varicose veins, and splenomegaly.
Liver ultrasound also plays an important role in the diagnosis of liver cancer. In adults, most liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma, in children it is often hepatocellular carcinoma. Other diseases such as liver abscesses, liver flukes, liver cysts or benign tumors, metastatic lesions, intrahepatic biliary tract diseases can also be assessed for severity through ultrasound, thereby recommending appropriate treatment.

Diagnosis of hepatitis through ultrasound, especially acute hepatitis should be done by experienced technicians. Criteria to evaluate hepatitis on ultrasound are divided as follows:
Acute hepatitis:
Size: Large or normal liver; Smooth edge; Concave back; Host tissue when compared with spleen: uniform, often inferior or thicker; Around the door: Echo thick; Gallbladder: septum with/without edema or without bile. Chronic hepatitis:
Size: Normal or atrophied liver; Uneven or smooth edges; Convex back; Host tissue when compared with spleen: not homogenous with regenerative granules; Around the door: Echo thick; Gallbladder: Distorted shape, not thick wall.

Although there is a high sensitivity in the diagnosis of hepatitis, the case of ultrasound images without abnormalities cannot completely rule out liver diseases. This condition is common in acute hepatitis but the liver is not enlarged, the patient is not jaundiced. In addition, the image of edematous gallbladder wall in acute hepatitis can be confused with acute cholecystitis. Using ultrasound to diagnose acute alcoholic hepatitis, infectious diseases, or other systemic diseases can also be misleading. Chronic hepatitis and early cirrhosis are often difficult to distinguish on conventional ultrasonography, so venous Doppler examination can be used to exclude. In summary, liver ultrasound is one of the techniques to help detect and diagnose a number of hepatobiliary diseases, especially hepatitis, quickly and effectively. If you suspect that you have this disease, you can go to Vinmec International General Hospital System for examination. Currently, Vinmec is one of the leading prestigious hospitals in the country that uses the most modern generations of color ultrasound machines in examining and treating patients. One of them is GE Healthcarecar's Logig E9 ultrasound machine with full options, HD resolution probes for clear images, accurate assessment of lesions. In addition, the team of experienced doctors and doctors at Vinmec will also greatly assist in the diagnosis and early detection of abnormal signs of the body in order to provide timely treatment for hepatobiliary diseases. time for the patient.