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Abdominal Ultrasound—Liver, Spleen and Biliary Tree

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Ultrasound in the Critically Ill

Abstract

This chapter describes a targeted approach to ultrasound of the liver, gallbladder, biliary system, and spleen. A standard scanning technique is initially outlined; followed by a more detailed description of the relevant sonographic anatomy for each of these organs and their normal appearance on ultrasound, with pitfalls to avoid. For each of these organs/systems, specific pathologies and their sonographic appearances have been chosen, which are thought relevant or likely to occur in patients on the intensive care unit. While some of the ultrasound findings described may directly influence the patient’s acute management, others are more incidental in their nature and should be recognised for that, to avoid unnecessary additional investigations.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Consultant Radiologist, St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Blackshaw Road, Tooting, London, SW170QT, UK

    James M. Pilcher

  2. Locum Consultant, St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Blackshaw Road, Tooting, London, SW170QT, UK

    Pawan Patel

Authors
  1. James M. Pilcher
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  2. Pawan Patel
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to James M. Pilcher .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Intensive Care Unit, Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, Berkshire, UK

    Andrew Walden

  2. Department of Critical Care Medicine, Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Wrexham, UK

    Andrew Campbell

  3. Department of Anaesthetics, Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, Shrewsbury, UK

    Ashley Miller

  4. Adult Critical Care, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK

    Matthew Wise

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Pilcher, J.M., Patel, P. (2022). Abdominal Ultrasound—Liver, Spleen and Biliary Tree. In: Walden, A., Campbell, A., Miller, A., Wise, M. (eds) Ultrasound in the Critically Ill. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71742-1_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71742-1_12

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-71740-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-71742-1

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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