A pseudolesion of the liver caused by rib cartilage in B-mode ultrasonography.
An artifactual protuberance at the surface of the liver in connection with an incomplete acoustic shadow is described. The reproduction of these phenomena in vitro was possible, providing an explanation of their origin. Rib cartilage, with its convex shape, and with the higher sound wave velocity and the higher attenuation compared with the surrounding tissue, causes these artifacts. The identification of a pseudolesion composed of these artifacts is simple if one considers its origin.
D000162:Acoustics; D002356:Cartilage / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D012272:Ribs / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D014463:Ultrasonography