$Unique_ID{BRK00973} $Pretitle{} $Title{What Causes a "Large Liver"?} $Subject{liver enlargement cirrhosis Digestive percussion ultrasound tests scans radioisotopes fibrosis cirrhosis inflammations infiltrative conditions tumors cancer cancers vascular diseases bile duct ducts biopsy alcoholic Type A viral hepatitis} $Volume{I-8} $Log{ Cirrhosis of the Liver*0009700.tid Normal, Fatty and Cirrhotic Livers*0009701.scf What Causes Cirrhosis of the Liver*0009702.scf Symptoms of Cirrhosis of the Liver*0009703.scf} Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc. What Causes a "Large Liver"? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ QUESTION: With the needs of a close member of our family in mind, we are turning to you to ask for explanations about a "large liver". Would you please enlighten us about its causes, how it is discovered, and what the possible cures might be? Many important decisions will depend upon the information you can provide us. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ANSWER: That is a pretty big task, and well beyond my ability to fulfil adequately within the restrictions of this column. However, I can offer you some basic information and a reliable source for more extensive information and help. The first clues to an enlarged liver comes during a physical examination, when your physician thumps your abdomen (with a technique called "percussion") and discovers that the lower border of the liver extends below the edge of the ribs on the right hand side. Normally the liver is tucked up under the rib border, lying just under the diaphragm, the large muscle that pulls and pushes air in and out of the lung. This finding can be confirmed by ultrasound tests, or scans using radioisotopes. The causes of an enlarged liver are many indeed, but fall into 5 major classifications; fibrosis/ cirrhosis, inflammations, infiltrative conditions including tumors and cancer, vascular diseases, and bile duct problems. While there are many tests that can be used to help tell one condition from another, the most useful diagnostic tool is the liver biopsy. This furnishes the physician with a bit of liver tissue which can be examined under the microscope. The two most common causes of an enlarged liver are cirrhosis and viral hepatitis, each accounting for about 15 percent of all cases of liver enlargement (or "hepatomegaly" in medical terminology). Cirrhosis is frequently associated with alcoholic liver disease, while viral hepatitis comes in several types, depending upon the infecting virus. Type A viral hepatitis is seen mostly in younger people, and after travel to countries where the disease is wide spread. Other types are diagnosed in individuals with needle drug habits, homosexuals, heterosexuals with multiple partners, after blood transfusion, and health field workers. Your best bet to obtain extensive, authoritative information is to contact the American Liver Foundation, Cedar Grove, NJ 07009, Telephone # 201 857-2626. ---------------- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.