Diffusive changes in liver parenchyma

Structure and function of the liver

The liver is the largest gland in the human body, which consists entirely of parenchymal tissue (the liver parenchyma consists of cells - hepatocytes) and does not contain a cavity. The liver is located in the abdominal region, in the right hypochondrium. The basis of the liver parenchyma is lobules, between which blood vessels and bile ducts are located. On the bile ducts, the bile produced by the liver enters the gallbladder, and from there, through the common bile duct, it enters the duodenum, previously merged with the pancreatic ducts (thus, liver disease will certainly affect the overall condition of the pancreas).

In the human body, the liver performs a very large number of various functions. First of all, it is responsible for neutralizing and removing toxic products that have got into the body. In addition, proteins are synthesized in the liver and glucose stores are stored, converted into glycogen. And, finally, the bile is formed in the liver, which is necessary for digestion of fats.

To date, liver disease is not uncommon. This is due to the fact that the modern way of life, the nature of nutrition and frequent consumption of alcohol significantly damage the hepatic tissue, which is why the diffuse changes in the liver parenchyma develop. Not the last place is occupied also by virus defeats, which often remain without attention and due to this are transferred from person to person. There is a very large number of different methods aimed at diagnosing various pathological conditions of the liver. With various liver diseases, ultrasound is most often used. Unfortunately, it is impossible to make a definitive diagnosis, based only on the data of ultrasound, for this it is necessary to conduct a number of laboratory and instrumental studies.

The ultrasound method is based on the principles of echolocation, that is, the reflection of sound by tissues and the visualization of reflected sound on the monitor screen. The appearance of each type of tissue is different due to the different reflectance of the sound, so that it is not difficult for a specialist to determine the size, position and functional state of the organs under investigation, including diffuse changes in the liver parenchyma. Unfortunately, in most cases, it is not possible to differentiate the changes identified by ultrasound, which requires a number of other studies aimed at detailing and recognizing the changes identified.

Diffusive changes in liver parenchyma

Liver tissue in norm is a homogeneous weakly echogenic structure, among which bile ducts and blood vessels with increased echogenicity are seen. Diffuse changes in the liver parenchyma indicate that the hepatic tissue is completely changed. Similar changes are characteristic both for insignificant functional changes, and for very severe lesions (parenchyma of increased echogenicity of the liver). Therefore, additional research is needed. First of all, it is necessary to conduct a complete laboratory study, which will help to find out how badly the liver is affected. In addition to examining the liver itself, the states of the bile duct, pancreas, duodenum and, if necessary, all digestive organs are studied.

Changes in the liver parenchyma result from such diseases as viral hepatitis, alcoholic hepatitis, fatty liver, various metabolic diseases of the liver. With fatty degeneration of the liver, its dimensions increase, and the echogenicity of the structures increases. If the liver is enlarged slightly and there is a slight increase in echogenicity, this may indicate chronic hepatitis (this disease can occur for a variety of reasons, from alcoholism to viral infections). To ascertain the true cause of the disease, a number of additional methods of investigation are required.