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Congress: ECR24
Poster Number: C-13414
Type: EPOS Radiologist (educational)
DOI: 10.26044/ecr2024/C-13414
Authorblock: A. Gavrilovici; Cluj Napoca/RO
Disclosures:
Anamaria Gavrilovici: Nothing to disclose
Keywords: Abdomen, Liver, CT, MR, Diagnostic procedure, Cirrhosis
Learning objectives To understand the anatomy and underlying pathophysiological mechanism involving caudate lobe hypertrophy To present the main liver diseases associated with caudate lobe hypertrophy To depict practical aspects in using caudate lobe size in the differential diagnosis of chronic liver disease
Read more Background The caudate lobe, or segment I of the liver in the Couinaud classification, is the portion of the liver situated between portal vein bifurcation and inferior vena cava. It has specific arterial and portal venous supply, as well as independent venous drainage, making it anatomically and functionally independent. Due to its unique particularities, it is often affected differently by various chronic liver diseases. [1]The most obvious example is the particular venous drainage of the caudate lobe, being the only segment...
Read more Findings and procedure details CIRRHOSIS Liver cirrhosis represents the terminal stage of various chronic diffuse liver diseases, having characteristic morphologic changes: Caudate lobe hypertrophy Left lateral segment hypertrophy Atrophy of the medial segment Right lobe atrophy Right posterior hepatic notch [6] Caudate lobe hypertrophy is one of the main findings of cirrhosis and one of the first imaging biomarkers described for cirrhosis evaluation was the caudate/right lobe (C/RL) ratio; later it was further adjusted and presented as the modified C/RL ratio which has a greater specificity for cirrhosis. [3,7] [fig 2] [fig 3] Caudate lobe hypertrophy...
Read more Conclusion The caudate lobe becomes enlarged through a compensatory mechanism, being a common finding in chronic liver diseases, and it is often associated with other morphologic abnormalities. While these changes are not pathognomonic, they can represent a piece in the diagnostic puzzle. Clear understanding of the pathophysiological process, corroborated with other key imaging findings, can help radiologists use the caudate lobe size in this differential diagnosis. [fig 5]
Read more References References Sagoo MG, Aland RC, Gosden E. Morphology and morphometry of the caudate lobe of the liver in two populations. Anat Sci Int. 2018;93(1):48-57. Abdalla EK, Vauthey JN, Couinaud C. The caudate lobe of the liver: implications of embryology and anatomy for surgery. Surg Oncol Clin N Am. 2002;11(4):835-848.  Harbin WP, Robert NJ, Ferrucci JT Jr. Diagnosis of cirrhosis based on regional changes in hepatic morphology: a radiological and pathological analysis. Radiology. 1980;135(2):273-283. Kim RD, Kim JS, Watanabe G, Mohuczy D, Behrns KE. Liver...
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