Vascular diseases of the liver

Abstract

Vascular diseases of the liver can result from various conditions in the hepatic vascular system including the hepatic artery, portal vein, and hepatic vein. Diagnostic imaging plays an important role in establishing the correct diagnosis in the majority of such cases. The imaging features of these conditions reflect not only their particular etiology but also relatively specific hepatic parenchymal changes depending on the grade, level, and duration of the hemodynamic changes associated with each kind of vascular alteration. In this chapter, the imaging features of intrahepatic vascular or hemodynamic disorders will be discussed with special reference to relatively specific parenchymal changes and associated hepatocellular nodules in each type of vascular compromise. In addition, pseudolesions and/or pseudotumors due to third inflow into the liver will be described as well, because they are important to understand the relation between intrahepatic blood flow differences and imaging findings.