Ultrasound examination in diffuse liver disease. Clinical significance of enlarged lymph nodes in the hepato-duodenal ligament.

Seventy-three patients with pathologic liver function tests were examined using ultrasound one day prior to liver biopsy. The ultrasound findings were compared with the histologic findings. In 23 patients enlarged lymph nodes were found in the hepatoduodenal ligament and 21 of these had active immune-mediated liver disease. Of the remaining 2 patients one had ulcerative colitis (and fatty liver) and one chronic cholecystitis (and haemosiderosis). Of the 33 patients with biopsy-proven active immune-mediated liver disease 21 had pathologic lymph nodes in the hepato-duodenal ligament at ultrasound. It was not possible to identify the ligament in 8 patients and in the remaining 4 no pathologic lymph nodes could be found. Twenty-one of these patients had normal liver echoes on ultrasound, 5 exhibited increased echogenicity and 5 had heterogeneous echogenicity. In a further 2 patients both increased echogenicity and heterogeneous parenchyma were found. Ultrasound examination of the liver parenchyma alone would thus lead to 21 of the 33 patients being classified as normal and a further 5 being classified as having fatty changes of the liver. Only 7 would be regarded as having significant liver pathology. However, if demonstration at ultrasound of pathologic lymph nodes in the hepato-duodenal ligament is regarded as being consistent with significant hepatic pathology a further 15 patients could be added to these 7 patients, giving a total of 22 out of 33 patients (67%) identified as having significant liver pathology using ultrasound alone. The reliability of ultrasound in the diagnosis of immune-mediated liver disease can thus be improved considerably by actively searching for lymph nodes in the hepato-duodenal ligament.