The liver is one of the most important vital organs. It is involved in metabolic processes, the formation of bile, and also neutralizes toxins entering the body. Therefore, the general well-being of a person directly depends on the health of this gland.
One of the effective ways to diagnose liver condition is ultrasound. This method allows you to estimate the size and structure of the organ, which must correspond to generally accepted parameters. The structure of a healthy gland is characterized by softness and uniformity.
The slightest changes in the liver tissue indicate some pathology or functional failure. Recently, patients have quite often observed a heterogeneous echostructure of the liver. We will talk about what this phenomenon is and the reasons for its occurrence in this article.
What could be the structure of the liver?
Ultrasound as a diagnostic method
The vital organ is lined with special cells that have a flattened shape. Thanks to them, iron has a porous structure. The free space between these cells is filled with blood. This structure allows the liver to participate in metabolic processes.
These cells make up the parenchyma - numerous granular formations that are located very close to each other and are protected by several membranes.
Through these formations pass blood vessels that supply the organ with nutrients, as well as bile ducts, due to disruption of which liver problems often arise.
In a healthy person, all structural formations of the organ are homogeneous, that is, similar in size, not enlarged or changed. Depending on their condition, four main types of liver tissue structure observed during ultrasound examination can be distinguished:
- fine-grained;
- medium grain;
- coarse-grained;
- heterogeneous.
Let's figure it out further: which of these organ conditions is considered normal and which is pathology.
What it is
The pituitary gland is also called the pituitary gland, which is located on the lower surface of the brain. The mass of the gland is only 1 g. Not only the functioning of the internal organs, but also the appearance of a person depends on its work.
It is she who ensures the development of universal human external characteristics. Therefore, deviations in its work will be very noticeable.
Symptoms of pituitary cancer
A pituitary tumor is a common brain disease that affects the endocrine system and has specific symptoms.
To examine the pituitary gland, an MRI is performed, which determines the homogeneity of the tissue, that is, the ability to equally reflect rays.
By homogeneity we mean:
- absence of pathological shadows;
- maintaining normal sizes ;
- smooth borders with smooth curves;
- no signs of infiltration;
- position of the organ relative to other tissues.
If there is a discrepancy with even one point, we can talk about the diagnosis of diffuse heterogeneity of the pituitary gland.
Fine-grained structure of liver tissue
Heterogeneous echostructure of the liver is a serious indicator
This type of echostructure is characteristic of a healthy organ. Normally, our liver has smooth, clearly distinguishable boundaries and consists of the same type of fine-grained elements. A slight increase in the granularity of the liver tissue is considered normal.
The echogram clearly shows the organ’s circulatory network and bile ducts. The size of the portal vein is in the range of 0.8 - 0.12 cm. Even a slight increase in its size indicates an incipient disease (increased blood pressure), the development of which is facilitated by infections, bad habits and diet. Such liver disorders are reversible and respond well to treatment.
Surgery
The purpose of surgical intervention for diffuse adenomyosis is to remove a pathological focus that has a negative effect on other organs and systems of the body, disrupts the normal functioning of the body and cannot be treated with conservative methods. In case of nodular adenomyosis against a background of diffuse adenomyosis, if there is a desire to preserve the organ, removal of foci of nodular adenomyosis can be performed - the operation is technically difficult, since due to the lack of clear boundaries of the focus of changes, its isolation is fraught with difficulties. In addition, the presence of an inflammatory process and rigidity of the uterine walls makes it difficult to compare the wound surface when suturing the wound. According to the recommendations of the European and American Associations of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the only radical treatment for uterine adenomyosis is hysterectomy or supravaginal amputation of the uterus.
Medium-grained structure of liver tissue
This type of echostructure of the parenchyma appears in cases of metabolic disorders in the body - obesity, diabetes mellitus, as well as in some infectious diseases and hepatitis caused by the abuse of alcoholic beverages.
On the echogram, the organ is enlarged in size and has an unclear outline of its boundaries. Enlargement of the lymph nodes is also observed. To determine the exact cause of changes in the structure of the liver tissue, the doctor gives a referral for the necessary tests.
The medium-grained echostructure of the liver is considered a borderline state between normal and the development of pathology, causing serious damage to the health of the liver.
Symptoms
With small focal changes in the tissue, symptoms may be absent or have minor manifestations. But such foci can degenerate, acquiring a malignant course, unite into larger foci (merge) or disappear completely.
Symptoms indicating a malfunction of the pituitary gland:
- -type headaches : debilitating diffuse headache of a pulsating nature, taking antispasmodics does not help, and painkillers bring temporary improvement;
- deterioration of vision: changes in visual fields up to the formation of a tunnel, decreased ability to focus the gaze;
- the appearance of isolated episodes of minor epileptic seizures;
- changes in hormonal levels - laboratory parameters of prolactin, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) are increased several times.
It is also possible to have a disturbance in circadian rhythms, episodes of insomnia, and a disturbance in spatial orientation. In women, hair growth may increase and change to a male type.
Coarse-grained structure of liver tissue
The liver must be protected!
In the absence of timely treatment, a coarse-grained echostructure of the organ may be observed. On an echogram, the liver appears dull, weak and friable. Numerous tubercles are visible on its surface.
The circulatory system does not appear. Hepatitis of various origins, alcohol and drug addiction, and severe obesity lead to such changes in the parenchyma of the gland.
This condition of the liver is considered dangerous, as the organ begins to lose its ability to regenerate. In addition, necrosis (death) of liver tissue cells may begin.
Causes of heterogeneous liver structure
Changes in the structure of liver tissue can occur for various reasons, including under the influence of factors that seem, at first glance, unimportant.
Possible causes of heterogeneous liver structure include:
- unhealthy diet: abuse of highly carbonated drinks, fatty and fried foods, products with artificial food additives (dyes, stabilizers, preservatives);
- overeating and starvation;
- alcohol and drug addiction;
- poisoning;
- various infectious diseases of the body;
- genetic predisposition;
- harmful working conditions;
- side effects of certain medications;
- various organ pathologies.
And this list can be continued for quite a long time, since the body functions as a single whole, and the slightest malfunction affects the overall health and well-being of a person.
The greatest danger to the liver are diseases such as:
- diabetes;
- hepatitis of various origins;
- viral infections;
- alcohol and drug addiction;
- cirrhosis of the liver.
Such conditions are very dangerous, as they cause irreversible changes in the structure of the liver.
How dangerous is this liver condition for the body?
Echostructure of the liver - ultrasound indicator
Pathological changes in the normal structure of liver tissue lead to:
- intoxication of the body;
- metabolic disorders;
- various inflammations.
The person’s health deteriorates, pain appears in the right hypochondrium, nausea, and bitterness in the mouth. Irreversible changes in the structure of the liver often lead to death.
Diagnostic procedures to assess the condition of the liver
An important method for diagnosing the condition of the gland, as mentioned above, is ultrasound examination of the organ. Thanks to this technique, a specialist can assess the size of the liver, the structure of its tissues, the presence of tumors, and also find out the indicators of echogenicity and permeability.
But only on the basis of data obtained as a result of an ultrasound scan, a diagnosis cannot be made. Since this method does not allow us to see the specific reasons that caused diffuse changes in the organ.
Depending on the degree of damage to the liver tissue, the doctor prescribes various diagnostic procedures. These include:
- blood chemistry;
- radiography;
- biopsy;
- taking various samples.
The results obtained allow us to make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatment.
Benefits of minimally invasive treatment
Performing the operation laparoscopically, as well as using SILS technology, has a number of advantages, including:
- reducing the risk of intraoperative complications, since these methods are characterized by good visualization of the surgical area;
- the patient can be activated the very next day;
- short hospitalization period and rapid recovery;
- absence of pain after surgery.
When using minimally invasive techniques, it is possible to perform simultaneous operations. For patients who have several diseases that require surgical treatment, I suggest getting rid of 2-5 diseases at once during one anesthesia.
Because surgery for endometriosis can involve multiple organs, experience in performing surgeries involving other body systems is necessary. My specializations are, in addition to surgery and gynecology, urology and proctology. The accumulated experience allows me to perform surgery even with damage to other organs as carefully and safely as possible.
I have been operating on patients with various diseases for more than 30 years, over the years I have personally performed more than 600 operations for endometriosis of varying severity. I was the first in Russia to begin performing operations using SILS technology (in 2009), for the first time in our country I performed laparoscopic surgery for infiltrative endometriosis (in 1997), and also performed a unique operation for stage 4 retrocervical endometriosis (in 2011). I summarized the results of the operations performed in the monograph “Laparoscopic operations in gynecology” and numerous publications that are published in various peer-reviewed scientific publications both in Russia and abroad.
Therapeutic measures
After identifying the disease that has caused changes in the structure of the liver, the doctor prescribes a specific treatment regimen. Therapeutic measures are aimed at eliminating the causes of the development of pathology.
With minor changes in the structure of the liver tissue, as a rule, a special diet is selected that excludes junk food and alcohol, and medications are also prescribed that restore the organ system.
For more serious changes, treatment is supplemented by taking antibacterial agents, antibiotics and special vitamin complexes. A course of treatment with antiviral agents is possible.
Unfortunately, with serious forms of liver tissue damage, therapeutic measures are often ineffective.
