How to detect liver ascites

If a person develops ascites, there are no obvious symptoms in the early stage. However, after a long period of time, the person will experience body swelling, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain and bloating, etc. However, ascites can only be detected by going to the hospital for examination. Ascites can be detected by ultrasound or blood test. Let’s take a closer look at how to detect ascites.

1. Initial investigation: This is a commonly used method for diagnosing ascites. When people use this method to diagnose ascites, they can often make a clear diagnosis through medical history and physical examination. For patients with ascites, it cannot be assumed that alcoholics have alcoholic liver disease. Diagnosis of hepatic ascites must include diagnostic paracentesis, determination of albumin and total protein in the ascitic fluid, ascitic fluid leukocyte count and culture, ascitic fluid amylase, and ascitic fluid cytology when malignancy is suspected.

Other methods for diagnosing ascites include abdominal ultrasound, blood tests such as urea nitrogen, electrolytes, liver function, prothrombin time and complete blood cell count. These methods are helpful in diagnosing ascites, and people should have a correct understanding of them.

2. Ascites protein and ascites amylase: This is a commonly used method for diagnosing ascites. People should have a correct understanding of how to diagnose ascites. Through traditional diagnosis of ascites, the ascites is divided into exudate and transudate based on the ascites protein concentration of 24g/L. It is mainly used to distinguish the causes of ascites. For example, malignant tumors are often exudates, while cirrhosis is often transudates.

3. Abdominal puncture: This is the most commonly used method for diagnosing ascites. People should have an understanding of this method. The commonly used puncture point for this method is about 14 cm on the navel side. Be careful to avoid enlarged liver and spleen. It is usually the left and right lower limits of the abdomen. The superior and inferior abdominal arteries are mostly on the umbilical side and run to the midpoint of the groin, so care should be taken to avoid them.

People often go to the hospital for examination only after discovering symptoms of ascites. Therefore, people should not only understand how to diagnose ascites, but also have some understanding of the symptoms of ascites. If patients need to undergo an examination for ascites, they must go to a regular hospital so that we can protect the safety of patients with ascites.