Liver Ultrasound Protocol Overview

Liver Ultrasound Protocol

• Liver Assessment: Size, Texture, Vascularity, Biliary Tree, Masses or Collections.

Normal Liver by Ultrasound

• Left Portal Vein: Travels longer to the left before dividing into medial and lateral segmental branches.
• Right Portal Vein: Divides early into anterior and posterior segmental branches.
• Hepatic Artery: Branches off the celiac artery and supplies oxygen-rich blood to the liver.
• Proper Hepatic Artery: Enters the porta hepatis and splits into left and right hepatic arteries.
• Hepatic Veins: Three main veins drain the liver, located between major hepatic segments.
  • Middle Hepatic Vein: Between right and left lobes.
  • Left Hepatic Vein: Between medial and lateral segments of the left lobe.
  • Right Hepatic Vein: Between the anterior and posterior segments of the right lobe.

Diseased Liver by Ultrasound

• Hepatic Resection: Dividing the hepatic parenchyma to one side of the anatomic division helps reduce blood loss during resection.

Preparation for Ultrasound

• Fasting: 6 hours to reduce bowel gas and minimize gallbladder contraction.

Portal Vein

• Diameter: Not specified in text, but measurement is implied.