Sonographic signs of moderate diffuse changes in the liver parenchyma. Diffuse changes in the liver: what it is, signs and methods of treatment. How to prepare for an ultrasound examination

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Moderate diffuse changes in the liver are a pathological phenomenon that accompanies a number of diseases and negative conditions of the organ. They are usually formed against the background of dysfunction of the basic system, have specific, often mild symptoms and a number of potential possible complications. What is the peculiarity of this problem, how to identify and treat it? You will read about this and much more in our article.

What are moderate diffuse changes in the liver?

By the term moderate diffuse changes in the liver, medical specialists usually mean a special condition of the parenchyma of the organ - its tissues change, foreign inclusions, stretches, compactions and other objects appear in the previously homogeneous cellular structure. At the same time, the liver itself works in the compensation stage, i.e. the overwhelming majority cope with its main function, albeit with difficulty.

Types of moderate diffusion changes in the liver:

• Fibrous. Occurs with the formation of scar tissue;
• Sclerotic. Soft cell structures are replaced by denser ones;
• Hypertrophic. They pass with a physical increase in cells and overall size of the organ;
• Dystrophic. Processes reverse to hypertrophy: individual organ localizations decrease in size and acquire a nodular structure;
• Swelling. This pathology is externally similar to hypertrophy, but develops rapidly and without the proliferation of connective tissues, i.e. an acute inflammatory process is formed.

With moderate diffuse changes in the liver, deviations in the size of the organ’s lobes, edges and boundaries, lumens of arterial and venous structures, gall bladder and ducts are often observed.

In a normal state, in a healthy person, liver tissues have low echogenicity; they are soft, homogeneous with a clear structuring of hepatocytes, while the bile ducts, blood and lymphatic channels, on the contrary, have high echogenicity.

Reasons for changes

There can be many reasons for moderate liver changes.

The most typical and common causes of liver changes:

• Alcoholism. One of the most common provoking factors in the post-Soviet space among the adult population. Regular and irregular consumption of any alcohol, including even “light” alcohol (for example, cider or beer) leads to degeneration of the liver, an increase in its size (hepatomegaly), and not only moderate, the formation of other pathologies;
• Obesity and diabetes. Two often interconnected pathological processes in the body (we are talking about type 2 diabetes with insulin resistance of fat and soft tissues) have a complex effect on the liver, provoking first moderate and then acute diffuse abnormalities of the organ;

As a rule, the problem is detected accidentally at the stage of ultrasound examination, where the main pathologies are visible - from increased echogenicity and heterogeneity of the structure, to hypertrophy of some tissues and the presence of scars.

External signs of moderate diffuse changes in the liver:

• Mild yellowing of the skin, mucous structures and sclera of the eyes. Usually formed due to cholestasis - a violation of the circulation of bile and the formation of jaundice in the general sense. Less often this problem associated with systemic disorders of bilirubin metabolic processes, insufficient processing of bilirubin by the liver and other factors;
• Non-recurrent pain syndrome in the right hypochondrium, forearm and localization of the liver itself. Spontaneously occurs as a slight malaise and heaviness, intensifies after moderate or heavy physical exertion;
• Nausea, lethargy, lack of appetite, weakness. This group of nonspecific symptoms is usually correlated with banal fatigue, colds or other diseases. They can also appear with moderate changes in the liver.

As can be seen from the above list, it is very difficult to independently diagnose the problem - only a comprehensive professional examination can accurately identify the cause and localization of the pathology.

Diagnosis of the disease

The main diagnostic method for detecting the pathology of diffuse liver abnormalities is ultrasound examination. In recent decades, it is this that most often primarily identifies the problem and allows, after additional research, to accurately establish the cause of the development of the negative condition.

With moderate diffuse changes in the organ, a professional ultrasound specialist can observe deviations in size (too small or large), edges and boundaries, as well as accompanying ducts and venous-arterial systems that are directly related to its functioning, that are uncharacteristic for a healthy liver.

After identifying suspicion and making a possible primary diagnosis, follow additional tests and methods of instrumental tests.

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Methods for diagnosing diffuse changes:

• Biochemical and clinical blood test;
• General urine and stool tests;
• Serological studies of plasma (by enzyme immunoassays);
• Angiography;
• Radioisotope scanning;
• CT and MRI;
• Direct liver puncture;
• Other measures prescribed by the attending physician.

After identifying the cause of moderate diffuse changes in the liver, based on tests and comprehensive instrumental examination, a final diagnosis will be made and appropriate treatment will be prescribed.

Treatment methods

It should be understood that moderate changes in an organ are not a disease - it is only a pathological-symptomatic manifestation of any disease or syndrome, most often acting as a secondary complication; accordingly, the specific therapeutic treatment regimen depends on the final diagnosis established, the current condition of the patient, the stage of neglect of the pathology, individual characteristics the patient's body and many other factors.

In the vast majority of cases, treatment procedures for moderate diffuse changes in the organ are based on conservative therapy - surgical intervention is carried out in isolated situations.

Standard general treatment regimens include:

General actions and measures for the treatment of liver changes:

• Hepatoprotectors. This group medicines is designed to protect liver cells from further damage, enhance the regeneration of new tissues, as well as stimulate the organ with an increase in its local immunity, thereby improving overall biochemical parameters. A typical representative is Karsil (drug plant origin based on milk thistle root extract), Essentiale (natural phospholipids);
• Vitamin and mineral complexes as a supplement and enhancement of the therapeutic effect. A typical representative is a group of vitamins B and E, Calcium D3, etc.;
• Individual amino acids– designed to fill the shortage of a number of compounds. A typical representative is glycated acid;
• Probiotics and prebiotics– these two groups of drugs are necessary to normalize the beneficial intestinal microflora, which suffers from the main therapy of the disease, as well as to support the restored lacto- and bifidobacteria by introducing environments favorable for them, respectively. A typical representative is Linex, Bifiform, Hilak, Laktofiltrum;
• Diet with limited fat intake and simple carbohydrates , fractional meals, avoidance of fried, pickled, smoked foods, steaming, boiling or baking, exclusion from the diet of legumes and lentils, fatty meats and fish, sauces, sour vegetables, berries and fruits, baked goods, other products on an individual basis scheme of an endocrinologist or nutritionist.

Complications and consequences

The list of possible complications of diffuse changes in the parenchyma of an organ significantly depends on the timeliness of the prescribed therapy and the stage of identifying the problem. By themselves, such transformations do not pose a direct threat to the patient’s life - all basic liver functions are compensated.

However, in the absence of qualified treatment, liver changes will become increasingly acute; chronic pathology can provoke the development of serious complications in the long term.

Possible complications and consequences:

• Fatty liver diseases with the inclusion of uncharacteristic lipid formations into the homogeneous hepatocyte structure;
• Fibrosis of different stages with proliferation of connective tissue, the formation of scars and other objects and structures;
• Cirrhosis, which in the final stages of their development lead to the death of the patient.

What are diffuse changes?

Very often in the clinic you can hear such a phrase - diffuse changes in the liver. Most patients who come for an ultrasound examination do not know what diffuse changes in the liver are, so they are justifiably alarmed by such a diagnosis. This means that the pathology can provoke serious diseases, and in itself is a symptom of an already existing disease.

Diffuse changes in the liver parenchyma cannot be identified as an independent disease, since this condition is a symptom of a number of pathologies affecting the liver. In general, diffuse changes tend to increase the parenchyma. The nature of such changes is very diverse. They can be sclerotic, fibrous, dystrophic or hypertrophic in nature, but such changes always indicate one thing - liver damage to a serious illness. To determine what kind of illness led to this pathology and what diffuse changes in the liver mean, you need to undergo a thorough examination by a doctor.

Signs and causes

Diffuse changes in the structure of the liver occur as a result of various ailments. The most noticeable negative consequences come from chronic illnesses, during which the liver undergoes destructive changes for a long time. Among the reasons that affect this organ, we note the following:

1. hepatitis of various types;
2. cirrhotic lesion;
3. obesity;
4. fluctuations in body weight;
5. alcohol abuse;
6. long-term medication use;
7. autoimmune pathologies.

Similar liver diseases and disorders of its functioning occur in people of both sexes at any age, so changes in the structure of the liver threaten all people suffering from the above pathologies. For example, in children, most often moderate diffuse changes in the liver may appear after suffering from jaundice or drug treatment, but adults are more susceptible to cirrhosis or fatty damage to the organ. In some cases, the causes of diffuse changes in the liver parenchyma cannot be determined. Therefore, doctors here suspect the influence of ecology on humans, and a hereditary factor is also possible. In any case, diffuse changes in the liver require careful and competent diagnosis.

Manifestations of diffuse changes may not be observed for a very long time. The liver does not make itself felt characteristic symptoms– pain and heaviness in the right hypochondrium, so most patients are not at all aware of what is happening to the tissue of the organ.

Even with pronounced disorders, the liver gives the expected symptoms, which include nausea and constant severity. With severe lesions (cirrhosis, hepatitis), this organ gives more obvious signs of diffuse changes in the liver:

1. yellowing of the skin and sclera;
2. permanent painful sensations on the right side;
3. pain radiating to the right shoulder.

Forms

Diffuse changes are classified according to several criteria. Depending on the volume of organ damage, focal, local and total forms are distinguished. In the focal form, structural changes occur in a small area; it can be delimited by healthy parenchyma and the pathology will stop in its development. In the local form of diffuse lesions, the volume is much larger - disturbances are observed over a significant area, and can completely cover one of the organ lobes. The most severe form is total, when the entire liver is affected and no healthy parenchyma remains.

Diagnostics

Changes in the structure of the liver can be diagnosed echoscopically using an ultrasound examination of the patient, as well as by biopsy. An ultrasound can determine the size of an organ and determine deviations from the norm, and examine irregularities in its structure. Upon receipt of the test results, the doctor will make a preliminary diagnosis and prescribe medications to treat the pathology.

Moderately diffuse changes occur most often - this disorder occurs as a result of poor nutrition, after suffering from acute respiratory viral infection, or in case of poisoning. For most people, they go away on their own if the person recovers properly after the illness.

Echo signs of diffuse changes in the liver can be more threatening - pronounced. In this case, they are provoked by severe pathologies - hepatitis, chronic pancreatitis, cholecystitis. Improper structure of the bile ducts, the common hepatic duct, their narrowness, can also cause diffuse changes.

In addition to an ultrasound examination, the attending physician prescribes additional diagnostic measures that will help clarify the picture of the pathology. This means that ultrasound alone may not be enough. Additional studies are prescribed:

1. CT scan;
2. X-ray examination;
3. blood analysis;
4. analysis for antibodies to hepatitis.

Changes in echostructure on initial stage may not require treatment - it will only be enough to adjust the patient’s diet and habits. Ductal changes in the liver in some cases can be a variant of the norm; most often this is diagnosed in children. With properly organized child care, echographic signs of diffuse disorders disappear after some time.

Hepatoses

Diffuse changes in liver tissue can also be caused by non-inflammatory pathologies, which are combined into one general group and are called hepatosis. They are caused either by harmful external factors or provoked by heredity. A characteristic feature of hepatosis is a metabolic disorder in the organ and degeneration of its cells, as well as the absence inflammatory processes. Like most organ pathologies, hepatosis is manifested by dyspeptic disorders, jaundice and inability to perform its functions. Hepatosis can also be diagnosed using ultrasound or MRI.

Among all hepatoses, fatty degeneration holds a confident lead - its signs are found in every fourth biopsy result, and in people with excess body weight, fatty damage to the organ occurs in almost one hundred percent of cases.

Doctors are least likely to encounter bilirubin metabolism disorders - this is a rare hereditary pathology, for which there is no treatment today.

Among the causes of hepatosis are:

• toxic effects on the organ;
• alcohol abuse;
• excess weight;
• pathologies of the thyroid gland;
• diabetes.

These diseases lead to necrosis of liver hepatocytes, which immediately leads to the replacement of hepatocytes with fat cells, and they can be deposited both in the parenchyma itself and outside it.

Hereditary hepatoses are most often associated with impaired metabolism of bilirubin or bile acids. The leading role in this case will be played by deficiency of enzyme production. Such disorders do not occur often - on average in 3 percent of cases of all hepatosis.

Treatment

Treatment of diffuse changes in the liver should be aimed primarily at eliminating the cause that caused the disorders. The treatment method is selected depending on what pathology is diagnosed in a particular patient. If the causes are exogenous, then it is enough to just eliminate minor diffuse changes in the liver - switch to a balanced diet, stop drinking alcohol, and go in for sports. After these causes are eliminated, the slow restoration of the parenchyma will begin. Additionally, hepatoprotectors can be prescribed - their composition has a beneficial effect on hepatocytes.

For serious pathologies, doctors prescribe special drugs - hepatoprotectors, which will help protect organ cells from adverse external influences. Hepatoprotector – good remedy for the treatment of pathologies, however, anti-inflammatory drugs, vitamins, and compliance may be needed special diet. The treatment of the organ must be taken very seriously.

If diffuse changes in the liver cannot be treated conservatively, then the patient is operated on. This is a necessity for tumors, cysts, metastases, and portal hypertension.

It is important to remember that work disorders appear even when the organ is seriously damaged, so treatment with folk remedies cannot be used - it will only aggravate the course of the disease and you can miss precious time for drug therapy.

Prevention

To prevent a person from developing changes in the parenchyma, the prevention of diseases that cause such pathological abnormalities is extremely important. In this case, you don’t need to take mountains of pills or take other medications - you just need to follow simple rules:

1. eat right, balance your diet according to the main indicators - proteins, fats and carbohydrates;
2. exclude freeze-dried foods, do not use preservatives and thickeners, avoid fast food and fatty foods;
3. drink enough water;
4. eat small and often meals;
5. play sports, walk daily in the fresh air;
6. Avoid alcohol as much as possible and stop smoking;
7. When the first negative symptoms of the gastrointestinal tract appear, contact the clinic in time for treatment to eliminate all possible reasons pathology.

Diet

People suffering from organ pathologies must treat diffuse changes not only with pills, but also with diet. Don’t think that diet has no effect on the liver - this is one of the main stages of treatment, which should never be neglected.

The patient needs to give up fatty and fried foods, exclude canned foods and foods that are difficult to digest. The diet is based on proteins and plant foods. You need to drink at least two liters of water per day. Diet for diffuse changes in the liver is a necessary condition for recovery.

Forecast

An important component of the prognosis for liver disease is treatment of the pathology. The outcome of the disease largely depends on timely and high-quality treatment. Usually doctors do not give encouraging prognoses only for cancer - hepatocarcinoma and its total damage, while other disorders can be stopped to one degree or another. The question of quality of life with diffuse changes is individual.

If diffuse changes can be corrected by early stage, then the patient can live a normal life, adhering to the principles healthy image life. For focal lesions, the diet will be more strict, and additional medications will be needed to maintain organ function.

If local changes that cannot be treated are detected, surgery to remove part of the organ is possible, after which patients live, but with significant dietary restrictions, physical activity etc.

Total organ damage with extensive fatty hepatosis, rapidly developing hepatitis and cirrhosis cause the greatest difficulty in treatment. Today it is not possible to help such patients; death occurs as a result of intoxication of the body, internal bleeding, and the development of severe infectious complications.

Quite often, in the conclusion to the ultrasound examination protocol, you can find a diagnosis such as diffuse changes in the liver and pancreas, the echo signs of which will be described in this article. Those patients who have been given a similar diagnosis are wondering how dangerous this condition is for the body. Echo signs of diffuse changes in the liver and pancreas indicate that some uniform structural changes in tissue occur on the surface of these organs due to the influence of various factors. The degree of this diffuse deformation may vary. And this conclusion suggests that there are no local foreign inclusions in the organs, for example, stones, cysts, tumors. But what do echo signs of diffuse changes in the liver and pancreas include? This and other issues are worth understanding in more detail.

What do echo signs of diffuse changes in the liver and pancreas mean?

Normally, the tissue of the pancreas and liver during an ultrasound should have the same density throughout the entire organ, and externally appear as a homogeneous substance. If its density uniformly increases or decreases, then this indicates the presence of echo signs of diffuse changes in the liver and pancreas. They may have the following character:

• Increased echo density. During this, echo signs of diffuse changes in the liver or pancreas are characterized by the structure of the organs, which is heterogeneous. A moderate increase in the size of these organs can be observed. As a rule, this often happens during acute pancreatitis.
• Reduced echo density. At the same time, echo signs of diffuse changes in the liver and pancreas do not include any changes in the size of the organs.

Such conditions indicate the presence of chronic pancreatitis in the patient, if we are talking specifically about the pancreas.

With increased echogenicity, the walls of the pancreas are replaced by adipose tissue, but the size does not deviate from the norm. This condition is characteristic of lipomatosis. With hyperechogenicity, the tissues of the organ are highly compacted, and the size may remain normal or decrease. At the same time, healthy cells begin to be replaced by connective tissues, which indicates the presence of fibrosis.

In the pancreas, degenerative-dystrophic changes develop only gradually, being considered an irreversible consequence.

Echo signs of diffuse changes in the parenchyma of the liver and pancreas can be a sign of both minor deviations and complex pathologies in the functioning of these organs. They are assessed based on parameters such as the lumen and condition of the bile ducts, changes in size, condition of the arteries and veins, and the uniformity of the border edges.

Echo signs of diffuse changes in the liver parenchyma can indicate many diseases, which include the following:

• Liver cirrhosis, during which the organ increases or decreases in size, and the structure of its tissue also changes. It may become bumpy, rough, or hard.
• Hepatitis, which is an inflammation of the liver that is viral in nature.
• Alcoholic disease, which is an inflammation of the organ due to fatty degeneration.
• Cholangitis, which is an infection of the bile ducts.
• Hepatosis, which is changes in liver cells, as well as a violation of the metabolic process in them.

With moderate echo signs of diffuse changes in the liver, the patient experiences symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, an increase in the size of the organ, pain and heaviness in the area of ​​the right hypochondrium. Quite often, diffuse transformations that are observed in the liver spread to the spleen, as a result of which it also increases in size.

If, after an ultrasound, moderate echo signs of diffuse changes in the liver were noticed, this may indicate degeneration of parenchyma cells, which is characteristic of cirrhosis. The surface of the organ is lumpy, uneven, replaced by connective tissue and dense.

Description of hepatomegaly

Hepatomegaly is a syndrome in which the liver increases in size. This pathology can be caused by exposure to the hepatitis virus, fatty degeneration, alcoholism, infectious mononucleosis or cirrhosis. The main signs of this pathology are: a feeling of heaviness localized in the area of ​​the right hypochondrium, as well as severe pain, dyspeptic disorders and a feeling of squeezing.

The severity of this symptomatology will depend on the severity of the disease, against the background of which the liver has increased in size.

Moderate hepatomegaly, which develops due to exposure to an acute viral infection or appears as a result of a dietary disorder, may be asymptomatic. Symptoms of illness in this case will appear only when the liver begins to significantly increase in size. Echo signs of hepatomegaly and diffuse changes in the liver parenchyma are observed during viral hepatitis. At the same time, the organ becomes compacted.

Quite often it happens that diffuse changes in the pancreas, as well as the liver, occur simultaneously. This combination can be noted during reactive pancreatitis. Echo signs of hepatomegaly of diffuse changes in the liver should not be ignored, as this can be fraught with serious consequences.

Causes

As a rule, no disease develops without cause. Among the factors that can cause echo signs of changes in the liver and pancreas, there can be both internal and external. External toxic substances that enter the body from environment. This can also happen while taking medications, drinking alcohol, and also due to smoking. The changes that occur under the influence of these factors are considered temporary and reversible. Internal causes of echo signs of moderate diffuse changes in the liver parenchyma should be divided into 3 groups:

• Diseases directly related to the liver.
• Age-related changes.
• Violations of the functions of other organs and systems in the body.

Among other pathologies that only indirectly affect the functioning of the liver and pancreas, thereby causing changes in their tissue, experts identify the following:

• Autoimmune diseases, e.g.
• Gallstone disease of the gallbladder.
• Viral infections in the intestines, characterized by severe course.

Symptoms and signs

Reviews of echo signs of changes in the liver and pancreas indicate that symptoms will vary depending on the root cause. However, among the general signs, experts identify the following:

• Abnormal stool.
• Decreased appetite.
• Pain and feeling of heaviness in the stomach.

During acute pancreatitis, the patient may experience attacks of nausea, vomiting, intense pain in the left hypochondrium, decreased blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, and general intoxication.

During fibrosis, symptoms on initial stage there is no development of the disease, but as the disease progresses, there is constant pain in the left hypochondrium, a feeling of nausea, gag reflexes, and also begin to be disturbed metabolic processes. All of the above symptoms relate specifically to diffuse changes that occur in the pancreas.

If we talk specifically about the signs of diffuse changes in the liver, then the symptoms do not appear immediately, or are mild. In most cases, they go unnoticed. Echo signs of ductal changes in the liver include decreased performance, lethargy, fatigue, minor hemorrhages on the skin, and headaches.

When diffuse changes in the organ are more extensive, the patient may experience some symptoms:

• In the morning there is an unpleasant taste in the mouth.
• A feeling of heaviness in the right hypochondrium after eating.
• Lightening of stool.
• Dark colored urine.
• Rashes and itchy skin.
• Swelling of the abdomen in the area where the liver is located.
• Yellow tint of the skin, sclera and mucous membranes.

If minor diffuse changes are detected during ultrasound, this indicates moderate hepatomegaly. This condition in most cases occurs due to an unbalanced diet, as well as due to alcohol abuse.

Diagnostic methods

Diffuse changes occurring in the tissues of the pancreas and liver are detected using ultrasound examination. An ultrasound shows exactly how much a particular organ has enlarged. Echo signs of diffuse changes are considered to be pathological plexus of vessels and compaction of parenchymal structures. Such foci of compaction are usually found throughout the organ.

But ultrasound results are sometimes not enough to diagnose a particular disease that is associated with diffuse changes. To do this, it is necessary to additionally conduct instrumental examination. For this purpose, survey radiography and computed tomography are organized.

Features of treatment

Methods for treating echo signs of changes in the liver and gallbladder imply a step-by-step and comprehensive approach. First of all, it is necessary to give a general assessment of the patient's condition. Methods of therapeutic intervention should be selected based on the degree of intensity of the existing symptoms of the disease.

Drug therapy

Hepatomegaly, which is provoked by diffuse transformation of the liver or pancreas, must be subject to drug therapy. This treatment is aimed at alleviating symptoms, but it will be impossible to return the tissues of these organs to their previous condition.

Therapy for diffuse changes in the liver area

Therapeutic measures aimed at combating diffuse transformations will depend on which disease is the cause of the development of this pathology. For less pronounced changes, the patient is prescribed medications that help restore organ cells. The most effective are the drugs "Gepabene" and "Essentiale".

With moderate diffusion, antibacterial agents are prescribed, vitamin complexes, as well as antihistamines.

Surgical intervention is required only in cases where significant restructuring and stone formation occurs in the parenchymal tissues.

In some cases, when the size of the stones formed is small, therapy may be limited to taking choleretic drugs.

Treatment of diffuse changes in the pancreas

The specialist cannot prescribe therapy to combat this pathology. Surgical intervention at the same time, it is also irrelevant. By using medicines you can only alleviate the symptoms of the disease, as well as help this organ perform its direct functions. For this, painkillers and enzymes are most often prescribed. Enzymes compensate for the deficiency of necessary substances in the body for the normal functioning of the pancreas, and painkillers help relieve pain.

Diet

All patients suffering from this pathology should adhere to a gentle diet. This diet involves avoiding the consumption of many foods, which include the following:

• Fatty fish, poultry and meat.
• Fermented milk products with a high percentage of fat content.
• Over-salted, fried, spicy foods.
• Fatty broths, as well as first courses prepared on their basis.
• Fresh baked goods and baked goods.
• Canned food and smoked meats.
• Sorrel and spinach.
• Sweets and offal.
• Garlic and onion.
• Mayonnaise.
• Radish.
• Mushrooms.
• Strong black tea.
• Hot sauces.
• Coffee.
• Alcohol and carbonated drinks.

In case of diffuse changes in the liver parenchyma, it is not prohibited to consume the following products in any quantity:

• Homemade jam and honey.
• Biscuit and dried bread.
• Non-acidic berries and fruits.
• Vegetable purees.
• Vegetarian or dairy soups.
• Vegetables and fruit salads.
• Protein omelet or soft-boiled eggs.
• Boiled sausages.
• Dietary varieties of fish and meat.
• Cocoa and green tea.
• Freshly squeezed juices and compotes.

Alternative medicine

Experts recommend using prescriptions in combination with the main therapy. traditional medicine. However, this must be done strictly after consultation with your doctor. At home, you can easily make your own healing decoctions, as well as infusions based on the following ingredients:

• Mint.
• Oats.
• Propolis.
• Corn silk.
• Chamomile.
• Fennel.
• Yarrow.
• Birch buds.
• Pumpkin seeds.
• Rose hip.
• Calendula.
• Lingonberry leaves.
• Apricot kernels.

Possible complications

Depending on the severity of diffuse organ damage, this pathology can provoke some dangerous complications, which include the following:

• Female and male infertility.
• Extensive internal hemorrhages.
• Malabsorption syndrome.
• Liver failure.
• Hepatic encephalopathy.
• Ascites.
• Coma.

Prognosis and prevention

In order to never allow the development of such a pathology, it is necessary to follow a number of general simple rules. Preventive measures include the following:

• Constantly monitor your body weight.
• Give up addictions forever.
• Try to eat well and eat healthily.
• Constantly strengthen your immune system.
• Do not allow toxic substances and toxins to enter your body.
• Take only those medications that have been prescribed by your doctor. In this case, you should strictly observe the dosage, as well as the duration of use of the drugs.
• Diagnosis must be early in order to eliminate those diseases that can provoke the development of pathological changes in the liver and pancreas.
• Regularly undergo a complete preventive examination, as well as visit all specialists.

Conclusion

In itself, this pathology does not pose a particular danger to human life. However, it is worth paying attention to the fact that the prognosis and the risk of developing possible complications will be dictated by the main provoking diseases. It should be remembered that every disease is a provocateur, which has its own consequences, sometimes ending in death. Therefore, if you detect the first signs of any disease, you must immediately seek help from a medical facility. It is there that the specialist must prescribe appropriate treatment, as well as prescribe certain medications.

It is worth paying attention to the fact that the use of traditional medicine recipes is only an addition to the main therapy. Besides this, even unconventional means should only be used after consultation with a qualified professional.

Moderate diffuse changes in the liver, as well as severe ones, are not considered by doctors as a separate disease. They just indicate that the parenchyma is swelling and increasing in size.

The processes occurring with the tissues of the organ in question can be of different nature. There are, in particular:

• hypertrophic;
• swelling;
• dystrophic;
• sclerotic.

They can also develop as hepatosis.

In order to begin treatment, first of all, it is necessary to identify and diagnose the underlying disease that provoked the changes in question.

Common reasons

The pathology in question is often found in people:

• alcohol abusers;
• smokers;
• non-compliance with healthy eating rules.

Promotes the development of changes in the structure of the organ also:

• genetic predisposition;
• bad ecological situation in the region of residence;
• long-term use of antibiotics and some other medications.

Damages the parenchyma to no less extent:

• liver metabolic disorder;
• infection with viruses;
• autoimmune hepatitis;
• cirrhosis;
• sudden weight gain or loss.

Not only adults, but also children can face a similar problem. Most often, in the latter case, diffuse changes are a consequence of previous jaundice.

General symptoms

The problem is that the condition in question in the vast majority of cases occurs without any symptoms.

The following symptoms are very rarely observed:

• minor pain in the right side of the body under the ribs;
• you can feel the heaviness there;
• the skin around the eyes and their mucous membranes turn yellow.

Sometimes the pain radiates to the right forearm.

Diabetes mellitus is often the culprit of diffuse changes. In this case, the liver enlarges in all lobes, and the echogram also reveals:

• heterogeneity of structure;
• smoothness of blood vessels;
• increased echogenicity of tissues with noticeable attenuation deep in the organ.

Diffuse changes affecting, in addition to the liver, other organs

As you know, all organs involved in the digestive process are connected in unified system ducts. And this, in turn, means that a functional disorder that has arisen in one of them will ultimately affect the work of the other.

The condition of the pancreas often worsens due to:

• metabolic disorders;
• infections;
• vascular diseases.

The organ often suffers from steatosis, when dead tissue is replaced by fatty tissue. An undoubted provocateur is also pancreatitis, both acute and chronic. The destructive processes in question sometimes affect, in addition to the liver:

• spleen;
• kidneys

Pronounced and moderate changes

Changes of any magnitude are almost always preceded by the impact of negative external factors. The depth of the destructive lesion is determined by the level of swelling of the parenchyma.

There are several reasons that contribute to the launch of a dangerous process:

• unhealthy (mainly fatty foods);
• poisoning;
• infection with various viruses.

If the disease is detected in time, treatment will reverse it. First of all, it is necessary to eliminate the effects of harmful factors. Serious liver dysfunction requires special blood purification procedures. Removing the breakdown products of alcohol and other dangerous substances from it will reduce the load on the organ and increase the effectiveness of treatment.

With moderate changes, a course of multivitamin preparations will also be useful.

Diagnostics

The most accurate diagnostic method today is ultrasound. But this type of diagnosis in the vast majority of cases does not allow identifying the primary pathology, therefore a number of laboratory tests are almost always required.

Analyzes are carried out:

• blood for biochemistry and general;
• urine.

In controversial situations, a biopsy is also prescribed. CT and MRI also help determine the cause.

The presence of diffuse changes is indicated by the following signs:

• high density of liver structures over its entire surface;
• union of blood vessels.

Treatment

The effectiveness of therapy largely depends on identifying the exact cause that triggered the process of change. Almost any pathology of internal organs results in minor or moderate diffuse disorders.

Diet No. 5 helps speed up the recovery process. The patient must also give up smoking and alcohol. If the problem is only an incorrect lifestyle, then this will be quite enough.

Hepatoprotectors based on plant materials are also prescribed. To the most effective folk remedies include:

• plum juice;
• chicory (root decoction);
• pumpkin baked with honey;
• calendula;
• chamomile;
• mint;
• I'll milk thistle.

All dishes must be consumed moderately warm. Meals are fractional - the daily food intake is divided into 5 or 6 parts. Cook food in a double boiler or oven without fat, spices and herbs. Salts are used minimal amount– no more than a teaspoon per day.

Excluded from the diet:

• fatty poultry (duck, goose), meat (pork, lamb), fish;
• eggs in any form;
• all offal;
• rich broths, including mushroom ones;
• fresh bread and baked goods;
• kvass and okroshka;
• milk and high-fat products;
• canned food;
• smoked meats;
• sausages (even boiled);
• sweets with rich cream;
• chocolate;
• ice cream;
• garlic;
• sorrel;
• mushrooms;
• spinach;
• radish.

At the same time, you are allowed to eat:

• natural honey;
• jam;
• stale bread;
• pies and buns cooked in the oven;
• non-acidic fruits and berries;
• weak black tea and coffee (preferably with milk);
• fresh juices;
• vegetable purees;
• omelette made from only whites;
• vegetable soups;
• low-fat dairy products;
• lean (without visible layers of fat) meat.

IN modern world More and more people are beginning to think about their health without feeling sick. You don’t go to a specific doctor or, often, you choose the path to the right office, the procedure, manipulation, diagnosis, etc. you need.

Let's imagine that we have Patient A in front of us and he is over 30-40. Very often people think that a reliable and inexpensive way to look into themselves is an ultrasound. Let’s say our patient started with abdominal cavity. So he lies down on the couch, feels the cold from the gel, the pressure of the sensor, and here are the words: “In general, everything is fine, there are small diffuse changes, but at your age this is normal.” He asks what changes? What? Why? In response, there were ambiguous and incomprehensible phrases about something with the liver parenchyma. As a result, he has a medical document in his hands after the ultrasound and there is a note in it: ECHO signs of diffuse changes in the liver parenchyma. And what? Either it's normal or it's not. Do you recognize yourself? I suggest you look into the issue.

In addition to the fact that it is a gastronomic donor of protein and a number of vitamins and a number of other substances, it is also an incredibly important organ in our body. Everything we eat is exposed to enzymes and intestinal microflora, and at this stage a mixture of beneficial nutrients and no less amount of toxins, such as indole, rushes into the bowels of the body with the blood. And here the liver becomes an impenetrable shield.

Toxic substances are converted into non-toxic water-soluble forms and excreted through the kidneys. Useful - allowed inside or processed on site. The liver carries out the metabolism (exchange, modification) of lipids, iron, bilirubin, the synthesis of protein, vitamins, enzymes, bile acids, and many other processes; here we have a supply of energy in the form of the carbohydrate glycogen. The liver is a huge multifunctional plant and warehouse.

To the heart of the matter

Normally, the structure of the liver and its parenchyma is homogeneous, and the sound wave easily passes through it without being reflected or delayed in any particular place. On an echo scan, the liver parenchyma appears uniformly dark (hypoechoic), intersected by even darker (anechoic) stripes of vessels with or without light walls, depending on the type (the branches of the portal vein will have a light outline, because their wall reflects sound).

Normal liver on ultrasound

Let's return to understanding the liver as a factory, and look into one of the conveyors. Let's say a lot of fat comes in, and this happens for a long time and regularly. The cells, our workers, begin to work harder and for some time the process is compensated. But everything has its limits. As a result, more fat arrives than the capacity of our conveyor. Or, on the contrary, the conveyor is suspended and cannot pass the previously acceptable volume of product. And so with any substance. The substance accumulates and changes the echographic picture of the organ on ultrasound. And since this process occurs in the entire organ simultaneously, both the ultrasound picture and echo signs will change diffusely. So we have come to understand that any use of the term “changes” cannot be a variant of the norm, and defining them as diffuse indicates that the entire organ is involved in the process.

From general to specific

Causal (etiological) factors causing a diffuse process in the parenchyma of an organ are divided into a number of groups:

1. Metabolic (associated with metabolic disorders caused by poor nutrition, hormonal imbalance, including hereditary ones). This group includes diseases such as glycogenosis, fructose intolerance, Gaucher disease (accumulation of glucoceribroside in the internal organs), diabetes mellitus, tyrosinemia, Wilson-Konovalov disease (hepatolenticular failure, a hereditary disease associated with the accumulation of copper in the body and manifested by damage to the liver, central nervous system, often kidneys), fatty infiltration in lipid storage diseases, galactosemia.
2. Toxic(bad habits (smoking, alcohol abuse), taking medications (steroid therapy, especially in combination with cytostatic therapy, radiotherapy, powerful antibiotic therapy), eating foods containing salts heavy metals, trans fats, free radicals, etc.).
3. Autoimmune(both hereditary and acquired);
4. Infectious(viral hepatitis (A, acute and chronic forms B and C), miliary granulomatosis (for example, tuberculosis), infectious mononucleosis (caused by the Epstein-Barr virus), brucellosis, cytomegalovirus infection, human immunodeficiency virus, some helminth infections, etc.).
5. Non-infectious processes(extensive malignant infiltration, chronic heart failure with venous stagnation, Reye's syndrome).

As a result of these processes, a change in the echographic picture as a whole appears. Depending on the provoking factor, at the initial stage of the process, the doctor does not yet see specific changes and echo signs that allow us to talk about something specific, but there is no longer a variant of the norm.

General echo signs of diffuse liver changes

• Heterogeneity, granularity of the structure of the parenchyma, which can be caused by loci of perifocal inflammation during infectious processes, deposits of metabolites (fatty hepatosis, liver lipomatosis, alcoholic steatosis, impaired metabolism of copper, iron, etc.); initial symptoms of fibrosis (replacement of functional tissue of the liver parenchyma with connective (skeletal, frame) tissue in cirrhosis).

Diffuse liver changes on ultrasound

• Changes in the echogenicity of the parenchyma, often increased (the liver looks whiter, “bright liver”).

Liver with a hyperechoic structure on ultrasound

Usually, to assess the degree of change in the echo structure of the liver, it is examined on ultrasound simultaneously with the right kidney (normally, the kidney parenchyma has the following echo signs: a darkish rim, equal in echogenicity or slightly darker).

However, one can note a natural increase in the echogenicity of the liver structure with its homogeneity in storage diseases; subsequently, even distal enhancement may appear (in the lower part of the echogram the liver seems brighter), as occurs, for example, with the accumulation of fats. In an infectious process, often acute, a predominance of the vascular component is observed, and therefore in various literature there are such epithets as “snow storm” or “starry sky”.

Thus, the ultrasound conclusion is not yet a diagnosis, but it indicates that in the liver there are echo signs of certain processes that require close and targeted attention. And to understand exactly what process is running in your particular case, a comprehensive examination is necessary.

Sometimes a biochemical blood test is enough, but sometimes you need to resort to magnetic resonance imaging. To schedule an additional examination, you must contact a gastroenterologist or hepatologist; you may need to consult other specialists (geneticist, endocrinologist, oncologist, infectious disease specialist, cardiologist and others).

And finally One cannot exclude the human factor, the quality of ultrasound equipment, and lighting. All this can affect the display of echo signs of the liver on the screen of ultrasound machines.

Additional pictures