Hepatic infarction is relatively uncommon because the liver has a dual blood supply from both the hepatic artery and the portal vein, making it resistant to ischemic damage. When it does occur, it is usually in the setting of liver transplant hepatic artery thrombosis, severe sepsis, or obstruction of a hepatic artery branch. On ultrasound, a hepatic infarct may appear as a wedge-shaped or irregular area of altered echogenicity, often hypoechoic, that does not show internal blood flow on Doppler examination. In liver transplant patients, the absence of hepatic artery flow on Doppler is an emergency finding that requires immediate surgical intervention.
Sonography Term