Utility of Longitudinal Measurement of the Liver With Ultrasound in Comparison to Computed Tomography Liver Volume in Assessing Hepatomegaly

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to retrospectively compare the longitudinal measurement of the liver on ultrasound (US) with liver volume as measured on computed tomography (CT). This institutional review board–approved retrospective study with prospective image analysis included adult patients with US examinations of the liver and CT examinations of the abdomen performed within 2 weeks of each other from January 1, 2010, to April 30, 2016. We recorded the dome-to-tip longitudinal length measurement of the right lobe of the liver on the US study. The liver volume was calculated using manual 3-dimensional segmentation of the CT data set. Additional linear liver measurements and qualitative assessments were retrospectively made on the US and CT images. Hepatomegaly was defined as a liver volume 2000 mL or greater. The sample had 302 patients including 140 males and 162 females. Liver length measured on US had a moderate positive correlation with liver volume measured on CT, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.7078. The optimum cutoff of liver length (US) was found to be 17 cm by Youden index, with a sensitivity of 76.0% and specificity of 73.4% for hepatomegaly. Additional linear measurements and qualitative assessments of the liver did not significantly improve the diagnosis of hepatomegaly. In conclusion, liver length measured with US has only a moderate correlation with liver volume. Commonly used US liver length maximum values of 16 to 18 cm produce a significant number of false-negatives and false-positives for the diagnosis of hepatomegaly.

Systemic Mastocytosis: Radiological Point of View

“…41 Furthermore, ultrasound, but mostly CT and MR imaging, could be utilized to define hepatic and splenic size. [43][44][45][46][47] Any decrease in hepatic and splenic size in the treatment assessment setting indicates treatment success in SM. 45 Manual CT hepatic volumetry is time-consuming, laborious, and software-dependent; therefore, simplified measuring methods are extremely useful in clinical radiology practice.…”

“…[43][44][45][46][47] Any decrease in hepatic and splenic size in the treatment assessment setting indicates treatment success in SM. 45 Manual CT hepatic volumetry is time-consuming, laborious, and software-dependent; therefore, simplified measuring methods are extremely useful in clinical radiology practice. The longitudinal dimension of the right lobe of the liver as measured in the midclavicular plane is an easy and practical method for routine use.…”

Nature of the liver volume depending on the gender and age assessing volumetry from a reconstruction of the computed tomography

“…Accurate liver volumetry measures are now possible using multidetector-raw computed tomography (MDCT). Although attempts have been made with ultrasound and MRI [ 24 , 25 ], MDCT is significantly superior in spatial resolution and reproducibility. Clarifying the relationship between LV and liver function in hepatectomy is important to avoid PHLF.…”

The diagnostic accuracy of using a predictive equation for liver volume derived from simple sonographic measurements in the determination of hepatomegaly

“…This conventional single measurement method is based on limited evidence 15 and only captures liver size variations in a single plane and at a single site. Surat et al demonstrated that a single measurement of the length of the right lobe produced a significant number of false‐negatives and false‐positives for the diagnosis of hepatomegaly, 16 the results of which may have been due to a lack of a defined measurement protocol in a retrospective study. The current study demonstrates that by extending the assessment with two additional measurements using a specific protocol and using a simple predictive equation, sonographers can be more confident that their assessment of hepatomegaly is accurate.…”