Keywords:
Abdomen, CT, Diagnostic procedure, Tissue characterisation, Transplantation, Pathology
Authors:
A. Pecchi, D. Corniani, M. De Santis, L. Maccio, N. De Ruvo, F. Di Benedetto, P. Torricelli; Modena/IT
DOI:
10.1594/ecr2013/C-0408
Conclusion
The main histopathologic alterations in fulminant hepatitis are the liver inflammatory cell infiltration and the diffuse hepatocyte necrosis.
The correspondent elements in MDCT examination are: low density liver parenchyma,
periportal low density,
thickened low density gall bladder wall and variations of liver volume.
Regenerative phenomena in the parenchyma could be at the basis of the parenchimal heterogeneous density,
like THAD,
and nodular liver contours.
Other frequent findings are splenomegaly,
ascites and thickened low density colic wall in case of toxic hepatitis.
With the limitations of a small number of patients,
we observed that the main MDCT alterations don’t change among hepatitis of different etiologies but these were the expression of an aspecific acute inflammation of the liver.
In acute hepatitis B there was less tendency to hapatomegaly and we found micronodular remodeling only at microscopic evaluation.
Only in some toxic hepatitis with oral ingestion of toxic agents we found alterations of the colic wall,
which were reversible after liver transplantation.