CT appearance of focal fatty infiltration of the liver

Journal Article · Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1982 · AJR, Am. J. Roentgenol.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2214/ajr.139.2.277· OSTI ID:6879490

Halvorsen, R A; Korobkin, M; Ram, P C; Thompson, W M

Focal fatty infiltration of the liver is an entity that may be confused with liver metastasis on computed tomography (CT). The imaging results and medical records of 16 patients with CT appearance suggestive of focal fatty liver were reviewed, three of whom had the simultaneous presence of metastitic liver disease. Focal fatty liver often has a distinctive appearance with CT, usually with a nonspherical shape, absence of mass effect, and density close to water. Liver metastases are usually round or oval, and unless cystic or necrotic, they have CT attenuation values closer to normal liver parenchyma than water. A radionuclide liver scan almost always resolves any confusion about the differential diagnosis of focal fatty liver: a well defined focus of photon deficiency is due to neoplasm rather than focal fatty infiltration. Sonography sometimes helps to confirm the CT impression, but may be misleading if the diagnosis of focal or diffuse fatty infiltration is not suspected before the examination.

• Research Organization: Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
• OSTI ID: 6879490
• Journal Information: AJR, Am. J. Roentgenol.; (United States), Vol. 139:3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM DISEASES
DIAGNOSIS
LIVER
COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY
METASTASES
NEOPLASMS
PATIENTS
SCINTISCANNING
BODY
COUNTING TECHNIQUES
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
DISEASES
GLANDS
ORGANS
RADIOISOTOPE SCANNING
TOMOGRAPHY
550602* - Medicine- External Radiation in Diagnostics- (1980-)