What is liver crystallization?

The liver is a metabolic organ in the human body. It is located in the middle of the abdomen, above the stomach and in front of the gallbladder. It has detoxification, biotransformation, less endocrine and bile production effects. Bile is produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder. The main cause of liver crystals is bile duct inflammation or bile duct fistula, which causes a large amount of bile to flow out and then gather together to form so-called liver crystals. Ultrasound or MRI can be used to confirm the diagnosis.

Crystals in the liver should be caused by intrahepatic bile duct calcification, which generally does not cause any symptoms. If there is abdominal pain, the possibility of extrahepatic bile duct stones should be considered. Generally, ultrasound can make a clear diagnosis. If the diagnosis is unclear, magnetic resonance imaging can be performed to confirm the diagnosis. If it is intrahepatic bile duct stones, no treatment is required; if it is extrahepatic bile duct stones, stone removal treatment is required.

Intrahepatic calcification refers to the strong echoes or high-density images similar to stones that appear in the liver on ultrasound or CT images. It is more common in people aged 20 to 50 years old, with an equal incidence in men and women. It is usually a single calcification focus, more common in the right liver than in the left liver, and it is rare for calcification foci to appear in both sides of the liver at the same time.

Causes

There are many lesions that can cause intrahepatic calcifications, including: ① intrahepatic bile duct stones, which is the most common factor; ② chronic intrahepatic inflammation or trauma; ③ parasitic infection; ④ benign and malignant liver tumors and calcification of intrahepatic metastases; ⑤ congenital development, with intrahepatic calcifications forming in the fetus in the uterus, often accompanied by congenital malformations, with a detection rate of 0.057%.

Inspection method

B-ultrasound is the first choice for diagnosis and differentiation of intrahepatic calcification;

CT has high resolution and can display calcification clearly. It is mainly used for patients who have difficulty identifying intrahepatic calcification foci using B-ultrasound, especially those suspected of intrahepatic metastases.

Features

Characteristics of single or multiple isolated non-fused calcifications in the liver

Most intrahepatic calcifications are discovered accidentally during normal physical examinations. For single or multiple isolated, unfused calcifications in the liver, without subjective symptoms and signs, and normal liver size and morphology, it may be related to factors such as congenital development, malnutrition, calcium-phosphorus metabolism disorders or injuries, or it may be certain lesions, such as intrahepatic bile duct stones, liver abscesses, or changes after healing of liver trauma.

The ultrasound image characteristics of this type of intrahepatic calcification are scattered strong echoes in the shape of a "pin" or "equal sign", running outside the bile duct cavity, with mostly no or faint acoustic shadows behind, and no intrahepatic bile duct dilatation. This type of intrahepatic calcification does not require treatment. To be cautious, this type of calcification can be followed up for 2 to 3 years, with ultrasound examinations every 3 to 6 months.