Usually, hepatomegaly does not cause any symptoms. The following symptoms and complaints may indicate hepatomegaly (liver enlargement): Leading symptoms Icterus (yellowing) Nonspecific upper abdominal pain/feeling of pressure in the right upper abdomen Rapid feeling of satiety/fullness at meals
Medical history (history of illness) represents an important component in the diagnosis of hepatomegaly (enlargement of the liver). Family history Is there a history of frequent liver disease in your family? Social history Current medical history/systemic history (somatic and psychological complaints). Have you noticed any yellowish discoloration of the skin or eyes? Do you suffer … Liver Enlargement (Hepatomegaly): Medical History
Endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases (E00-E90). Storage diseases (thesaurismoses) – such as amyloidosis, glycogenosis, hemochromatosis (iron storage disease), lipoidosis, Gaucher disease, Krabbe disease, mucopolysaccharidosis, etc. Cardiovascular system (I00-I99). Diseases of the lymphatic system, unspecified. Right-sided heart failure (right-sided cardiac insufficiency) Infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99). Infections, unspecified Parasitoses, unspecified – infections with parasites such as … Liver Enlargement (Hepatomegaly): Or something else? Differential Diagnosis
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). Abdomen (abdomen): Shape of the abdomen? Skin color? Skin texture? Efflorescences (skin changes)? Pulsations? Bowel movements? Visible vessels? Scars? … Liver Enlargement (Hepatomegaly): Examination
1st order laboratory parameters – obligatory laboratory tests. Small blood count Inflammatory parameters – CRP (C-reactive protein) or ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate). Liver parameters – alanine aminotransferase (ALT, GPT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST, GOT), glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (gamma-GT, GGT). Laboratory parameters 2nd order – depending on the results of the history, physical examination … Liver Enlargement (Hepatomegaly): Test and Diagnosis
Obligatory medical device diagnostics. Abdominal ultrasonography (ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs) – for basic diagnostics. Electrocardiogram (ECG; recording of the electrical activity of the heart muscle) – for suspected cardiac involvement. Optional medical device diagnostics – depending on the results of the history, physical examination and obligatory laboratory parameters – for differential diagnostic clarification. … Liver Enlargement (Hepatomegaly): Diagnostic Tests
