What does liver calcification mean?

Some people found some calcification foci in the liver during liver ultrasound or CT scan. Many people have a vague understanding of the concept of intrahepatic calcification. Some people think that the appearance of this phenomenon in their liver must mean that their liver disease is already very serious, and they cannot sleep or eat well because of this. In fact, liver calcification is not as scary as people imagine. Generally speaking, it will not cause any disease, so it does not require treatment.

1. What is intrahepatic calcification?

Intrahepatic calcification foci are formed by inflammation of the "scar" hepatocytes and generally do not cause disease. Some patients may have a feeling of fullness in the liver similar to patients with intrahepatic bile duct stones. If diagnosed, generally no treatment is required. Calcification spots in the liver may be partial calcification of the intrahepatic bile duct wall. It is mostly caused by inflammation, tuberculosis, etc. It may also be caused by intrahepatic calcification foci and fibrotic scars after local necrosis of liver tissue. It is the most important differentiation from intrahepatic bile duct stones. With the popularization and development of B-ultrasound examination technology in hospitals at all levels, many healthy people are found to have strong echo masses and acoustic shadows similar to stones in the liver during physical examinations, and many people mistakenly believe that they have intrahepatic bile duct stones.

2. Pathological Causes

In fact, calcification foci in the liver and fibrotic scars of local necrosis of liver tissue can present strong echo masses and acoustic shadows similar to those of stones, but generally do not cause dilatation of the hepatobiliary duct. The small bile ducts above the obstruction site are dilated, and the strong echogenic masses of the stones are distributed along the left and right hepatic ducts. Internal calcification refers to the strong echoes or high-density images similar to stones that appear in the liver on ultrasound or CT images. It is more common in people aged 20 to 50 years old, with an equal incidence in men and women. It is usually a single calcification focus, more common in the right liver than in the left liver, and it is rare for calcification foci to appear in both sides of the liver at the same time. There are many lesions that can form intrahepatic calcifications.

include:

①Intrahepatic bile duct stones are the most common factor.

②Chronic inflammation or trauma in the liver.

③Parasitic infection.

④ Calcification of benign and malignant liver tumors and intrahepatic metastases.

3. Diagnosis and Differentiation

CT has high resolution and can display calcification clearly. It is mainly used when B-ultrasound has difficulty in identifying intrahepatic calcification foci, especially when intrahepatic metastases are suspected. Most intrahepatic calcifications are discovered accidentally during normal physical examinations. For single or multiple isolated, unfused calcifications in the liver, without subjective symptoms and signs, and normal liver size and morphology, it may be related to factors such as congenital development, malnutrition, calcium-phosphorus metabolism disorders or injuries, or it may be certain lesions, such as intrahepatic bile duct stones, liver abscesses, or changes after healing of liver trauma. The ultrasound image characteristics of this type of intrahepatic calcification are: strong echoes dispersed in the shape of a "pin" or "equal sign", running outside the bile duct cavity, mostly with no or faint acoustic shadows in the back, and no intrahepatic bile duct dilatation. This type of intrahepatic calcification does not require treatment. To be cautious, this type of calcification lesion can be followed up for 2 to 3 years, with B-ultrasound examinations every 3 to 6 months.