Abstract

Liver ultrasound was prospectively evaluated in 104 subjects who underwent liver biopsy, including 24 patients without evidence of liver disease (controls), and 80 with a broad spectrum of liver pathology. Ultrasonography was very specific (100%) and moderately sensitive (70%) in the detection of liver pathology, and hepatic neoplasms, steatosis, and fibrosis were detected by ultrasound in 80%, 80%, and 67% of cases respectively. In addition, ultrasonography diagnosed other pathologies--mainly biliary tract disease and abdominal neoplasms--in 26% of the patients.