Ultrasound scan after a CT Scan.

Ok i am not sure where to post this but since hep is to do with the liver thought i would put it here.

It all started when the doc found microscopic blood in the urine via a urine sample that's no visable to the naked eye.

He sent me off to see the urologist (6 week's wait) and he recommended that i have a CT Urogram no mention of a Ultrasound scan, so 2 week's pass and i have my CT Scan.

£ week's later i recieved nothing about result's just a letter in the post saying they want to do an abdominal ultrasound scan, so i go to the hospital today and she say's ok where going to look at your liver (then i thought why) anyway's after the first scan she said i can't see anything wrong and said she needed to speak to the radiographer to find the exact location of the abnormality (this is when i freaked out first i knew what was going on was there) anyway's she come back and done another scan and same result's she couldn't find anything wrong.

Now i was wondering can a CT Scan sometime's show thing's that are not there? And that's why i was ordered an ultrasound scan to make sure everything was ok?

Also does anyone know if on a CT Urogram does the liver get scanned also?

Sorry if this is in the wrong location.

Thank's for the reply hep93,

Yeah i wasn't sure this was the right forum just needed to get it off my chest. I still don't understand how a kidney/bladder CT Urogram can scan my liver aswell which is where this has gone.

I do have Fatty Liver can this show on a CT Scan as an abnormality?

Trev,

Welcome!  So how was your fatty liver diagnosed?  Fatty liver shows up on CT as a less dense liver since there is fat scattered within the liver.  Regarding your CT urogram, since the kidneys are higher up and generally, the right kidney is higher than the left kidney, it is possible that a visual of the liver can be made at the same time.  Your fatty liver however, does not explain the microscopic hematuria (blood in urine).  So have they run a follow up urine sample?  Do you have any stones or crystals at all?

Re this "abnormality"...what did they describe it as?  Are you saying they found it on the CT scan but didn't see anything on the ultrasound?  I'm sorry if I didn't understand you initially but what I am understanding is that you had the urogram, an abnormaility was seen in your liver and they sent you for the ultrasound that didn't find anything....correct?

Trev, are you overweight? That kind of goes hand-in-hand with fatty liver. Heavy alcohol use can also cause it. And yes, fatty liver is an abnormality and can be quite serious. I'd suggest losing weight if you need to, and also abstaining from greasy or fatty foods.

I'm sure that Dany will have more answers for you.

Hugs,
Connie

Trev,

There are a lot of things that contribute to fatty liver but excess weight is the biggest - no pun intended   (I was told not to gain any weight as I am at higher risk for fatty liver having one disorder that affects my liver).  There are 2 types of fatty liver problems that are not alcohol related...NAFLD (nonalcoholic fatty liver disease) and NASH (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis).  People with NAFLD can develop NASH which is a very serious condition.  Fatty liver on its own may not cause more damage to the liver but it is best to try to keep your liver healthy by keeping up with your weight loss goals. 

That said, that wasn't what the "abnormality" they found was...it was your cyst.  Again, that could be benign and nothing to worry about so don't worry now.  I do suggest you speak with your doctor about monitoring the cyst.  It should have shown up with the ultrasound (US).  What was the time span between the CT urogram and the abdominal US?  Maybe they saw the cyst on the CT but it was reabsorbed by the time you had the US?  Maybe it wasn't a cyst at all but an artifact and the US proved it didn't exist?  Because of the uncertainty, I would ask for another CT and definitely speak to your docs about your concerns for the discrepancies between the 2 tests.

What are your LFT (ALT and AST) levels like now?

Trev, just for my information, how much does a stone translate to in pounds?

A CT with contrast is more accurate than one without it.  I always get contrast for my abdominal CTs and MRIs (tracking a tumor's growth.)

15 mm is about an inch...so not huge.  I had a cancerous tumor in July that was 4.9 cm...quite large--which was shrunk with targeted chemo.  (I'm awaiting transplant.)  Also, regarding your question about a cyst disappearing:  If it's a liquid cyst, it can burst and be absorbed by the body; i.e., disappearing.  I had this happen in my 20s.  I was in terrible pain in my left lower quadrant.  Went to the ER and was told I had an ovarian cyst the size of a grapefruit.  They gave me codeine and when I returned the next day, they didn't see anything.  It had burst.  And it never returned.

An ALT of 70-80 is not terribly high.  When your liver enzymes are triple high normal, there's cause for serious concern.  Obviously, when liver enzymes increase to beyond the normal range, something is going on.  With you, it's probably your fatty liver.

Try not to worry--a cyst isn't serious unless it turns out to be cancerous...only seen in a solid cyst.  Do, however, continue to question your doctor about things you don't understand or questions you may have.

Hugs,

Connie

Congrats on the weight loss!  That's significant!

They will want to keep an eye on the cyst through US or CT scan.  If you're worried about cancer, it's not age so much as the underlying disease that puts one at risk; i.e., if you have cirrhosis or hep C then you are more at risk for liver cancer.

Take some deeps breaths and know that for now you seem to be okay and are getting good medical care.

Hugs,

Conni