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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Year : 2014  |  Volume : 2  |  Issue : 1  |  Page : 29-33

Sonographic evaluation of normal liver sizes of school children in south-east Nigeria


1 Department of Radiation Medicine, College of Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Enugu Campus, University of Nigeria, Enugu, Nigeria
2 Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Enugu Campus, University of Nigeria, Enugu, Nigeria
3 Department of Radiation Medicine; Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Enugu Campus, University of Nigeria, Enugu, Nigeria

Correspondence Address:
Salome N Ezeofor
Department of Radiation Medicine, College of Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Enugu Campus, University of Nigkmheria, Enugu
Nigeria
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Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None


DOI: 10.4103/2315-7992.143406

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Introduction: Race, ethnicity, and pathologies are some of the factors noted to affect liver sizes. Despite several reports on liver sizes of children from different countries, normative data on liver dimensions of children remain scanty in our population. The objective of this study was to establish the normal values of the liver in healthy school children in south-east Nigeria and to correlate them with body indices. Materials and Methods : A cross-sectional prospective study of 1315 children between the ages of 5 and 17 years was conducted. Data on age, sex, and anthropometric measurements of body size indicators such as WT, HT, body surface area (BSA), and body mass index were obtained. Sonographic measurements of the liver were done with the subjects in a supine position. Length was measured after clear visualization in the midclavicular line for the right lobe and mid-sagittal plane for the left lobe, from the highest to the lowest points of the liver. The liver span was measured from the most inferior aspect of the liver on the right diagonally to the most lateral point. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 15.0. Results : Age and all the body size indices correlated positively and significantly with the liver dimensions (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). BSA correlated best with the liver dimensions. The dimension of the right liver length correlated best with body habitus, followed by liver span. Liver sizes in males were larger than those in females. A regression model for prediction of liver dimension was computed. Baseline data for liver sizes with upper and lower limits at 5 th and 95 th percentiles, respectively, were determined. Conclusion : The liver sizes in Nigerian children were noted to be similar to those reported for Brazilians in South America, but larger than the values reported in China, Thai, Turkey, and Arab countries.


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