Fatty Liver (Steatosis Hepatis): Examination

A comprehensive clinical examination is the basis for selecting further diagnostic steps:

• General physical examination – including blood pressure, pulse, body weight, height; further:
  • Inspection (viewing).
    • Skin, mucous membranes, and sclerae (white part of the eye), with attention to skin and mucous membrane color and hydration status.
    • Abdomen (abdomen)
      • Shape of the abdomen?
      • Skin color? Skin texture?
      • Efflorescences (skin changes)?
      • Pulsations? Bowel movements?
      • Visible vessels?
      • Scars? Hernias (fractures)?
  • Auscultation (listening) of the heart [due topossible cause: heart failure (heart failure)].
  • Auscultation of the lungs
  • Examination of the abdomen (belly)
    • Percussion (tapping) of the abdomen
      • Meteorism (flatulence): hypersonoric tapping sound.
      • Attenuation of tapping sound due to enlarged liver or spleen, tumor, urinary retention?
      • Hepatomegaly (liver enlargement) and/or splenomegaly (spleen enlargement): estimate liver and spleen size.
    • Palpation (palpation) of the abdomen (abdomen) to detect resistance and defensive tension (pressure pain?, knocking pain?, coughing pain?, defensive tension?, hernial ports?, kidney bearing knocking pain?) [mild tenderness in the right upper abdomen] [due topossible cause:
      • Chronic pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).
      • [due todifferential diagnosis: hepatitis B and C (liver inflammation)]
• If necessary, cancer screening [due todifferential diagnosis: hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer)].
• If necessary, gynecological examination [due topossible cause: pregnancy].
• Health check

Square brackets [ ] indicate possible pathological (pathological) physical findings.