Loss of echogenic lesion of focal fatty infiltration in fibrotic liver.

Five alcoholics with chronic liver disease showed focal low density areas of the liver that varied in distribution on computed tomography (CT) but no corresponding lesions on ultrasonography. The densities of these areas on CT were much lower than that of spleen. All the areas disappeared 2 days to 4 weeks after patients entered the hospital, suggesting that they were focal areas of fatty liver. Four patients had liver cirrhosis and one liver fibrosis. These observations may add further evidence to our previous finding that increased echogenecity of the liver produced by fatty infiltration is attenuated by complicating fibrosis.