What do slightly enlarged spleen, heterogeneous echotexture of the liever and enlarged lymph node in the porta hepatis mean?
Patient: my 6 year old grandaughter had an ultrasound today and it showed heterogeneous echotexture of the liver. Her spleen is slightly enlarged also. No signs of lesions but it showed an enlarged lymph node in the porta hepatis 1.5 x 0.7cm. Please explain what heterogeneous echotexture is. She is seeing her GP again on Wednesday to be referred to a Paediatric specialist. Doctor: Hello,Sorry to hear about the problem faced by the kid. So far as your question is concerned a bit more information about her history may be needed to reach to a conclusion. However, here in these lines, I shall try to explain some very basic concepts. Normally liver has smooth echotexture (in simple words you can use the word "structure" for echotexture) and heterogeneous echotexture means something wrong is going on that is disturbing the liver structure.Secondarily the kid is having enlarged spleen and portal lymph node. All these findings show that something seriously wrong is going that should not be ignored and dealt as early as possible for better results of the management plan. So the plan here is to get the child to a pediatric physician for thorough evaluation as early as possible and management accordingly.Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.Regards,Dr. Imran Ahmed Khan