Hepatomegaly

Background

Inferior view of the liver with surface showing lobes and impressions.
  • Big liver
  • Caused by infection, tumours, metabolic disorders, drugs

Clinical Features

Hepatomegdaly palpable on exam in a pediatric patient.
Hepatogedaly on exam in an adult patient.
  • Palpable (or radiologically appreciated) enlarged liver
  • +/- stigmata of hepatic dysfunction
  • +/- signs of causative pathology

Differential Diagnosis

Hepatic Dysfunction

Infectious

Neoplastic

Metabolic

Biliary

  • Biliary cirrhosis

Drugs

Miscellaneous

Evaluation

Evaluating liver size on ultrasound.
Pediatric liver size percentiles.
Hepatomegaly on CT.
  • Evaluate for etiology; depending on presentation, workup may include:

Management

Disposition

  • Dependant on presentation; consider GI follow up if discharging and hepatomegaly not previously noted

See Also

External Links

References

  1. Tintanelli's