Lacerated Liver

As we are all aware, liver is a major organ responsible for carrying out certain vital activities in the body. To mention a few, it secretes bile juice, produces amino acids and urea, filters blood and regulates blood glucose level. These multiple functions of liver as well as its location makes it susceptible to injuries as well as liver diseases. Many people seek medical attention ever year because of liver injury. According to doctors, it is the second most frequently wounded abdominal organ next to the spleen, which at times, can lead to hemorrhaging or laceration. Appropriate treatment is done depending upon the severity of the liver lacerations. Read more on liver function.

Lacerated Liver: Causes and Symptoms

One of the most common causes of lacerated liver is accidental injury. Fracture or damage to the ribs that protect the liver is quite common in extreme sport activities, car and other motor vehicle accidents, which in turn, causes blunt trauma laceration. Another cause of liver lacerations is penetrating trauma to the liver by a sharp instrument or knife. Grading of liver laceration is done for categorizing the severity level, which may range from one to six. Liver laceration grade I is mild, while grade VI indicates a very serious condition.

A lacerated liver is characterized by a tear in the liver organ, which in turns results in bleeding. The symptoms manifested due to laceration of liver depends entirely on the severity of the injury. Some of the symptoms associated with a lacerated liver are right shoulder discomfort, right upper quadrant tenderness, guarding pain and stiffness in the abdominal area (particularly in the right side). If there is excessive bleeding, then a lacerated liver condition can lead to shock symptoms. Read more on:

• Liver Damage Signs
• Signs and Symptoms of Liver Problems

Lacerated Liver: Diagnosis and Treatment

In order to obtain appropriate treatments for lacerated liver, proper diagnosis should be done by a qualified physician. A CT (Computed Tomography) scan is most commonly used for identifying a lacerated liver. Other diagnostic methods for confirming laceration of the liver include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and focal assessment sonogram in trauma (FAST). The doctor may also conduct blood tests, liver enzyme tests and liver function tests for determining the severity of the liver laceration. Read more on causes of elevated liver function tests.

Depending upon the diagnostic results for lacerated liver, the doctor monitors a patient's blood levels for hemoglobin and hematocrit at regular intervals (may be after every six or twelve hours). Usually, immediate treatment is not done for mild cases of liver lacerations. Rather the patient is kept under medical supervision for at least 2 - 3 days for any improvement signs. However, contrary to this, a large liver laceration should be treated as soon as possible. After examining the overall health condition of the patient, the physician performs surgical procedure (laparotomy) for repairing the liver injury. Liver laceration treatment by surgical method is also necessary, if there is successive decline in the hemoglobin and hematocrit levels.

Lacerated Liver: An Overview

In a case study regarding surgical treatment for lacerated liver, it is found that bleeding is absent in more than 80 percent patients. This indicates the body's high chances of liver laceration recovery on its own. Hence, it is concluded that sophisticated diagnostic methods should be used before undergoing surgery for lacerated liver treatment. While speaking about lacerated liver recovery, the patient should take complete bed rest. He/she should abstain from rigorous physical activities for about 3 - 4 months or as per the doctor's advice. The concerned physician may prescribe changes in the lifestyle habits including diet and daily routines for quick healing of the liver injury. Also, follow-up visits are mandatory to check the recovery progress of the liver.