Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver that can be caused by viral infections, alcohol use, medications, autoimmune conditions, and metabolic diseases. On ultrasound, acute hepatitis may show a normal-appearing liver or one with diffuse decreased echogenicity, making the portal vein walls appear unusually bright, a finding called the starry sky pattern. The gallbladder wall may be thickened due to surrounding inflammation. In chronic hepatitis, the liver may show increased echogenicity, coarsened texture, and eventually signs of fibrosis and cirrhosis. Elastography has become an important tool for monitoring the progression of hepatitis-related fibrosis without the need for repeated liver biopsies.
Sonography Term