Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Spleen Enlargement in Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver

  • Published:
Digestive Diseases and Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Our purpose was to determine if there is an association between nonalcoholic fatty liver and spleen enlargement. Spleen volume was measured by computed tomography (CT) in 32 patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver (23 men and 9 women; age, 41.6 ± 12.1, range, 22–69 years) and 34 patients with normal liver (19 men and 15 women; age, 51.1 ± 16.2, range, 14–86 years). The values were compared with the patient's demographic data, the liver-to-spleen (L/S) ratio of CT Hounsefield unit measurements, and the results of liver function tests. Diagnosis of fatty liver was made if the L/S ratio was less than 1.0. The mean spleen volume was 73.0 ± 24.4 cm3 (range, 21.1–106.1) in normal subjects and 141.2 ± 54.1 cm3 (range, 44.1–267.3) in patients with fatty liver (P < 0.0001). Multivariate linear regression analysis identified that only the L/S ratio (P < 0.0001) and age (P < 0.01) were significantly correlated with spleen volume. Using forward selection stepwise regression, the L/S ratio entered first (β = −0.634) and age second (β = −0.293). In conclusion, spleen enlargement was commonly seen in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver, and the recognition of this association may halt further attempts to evaluate the cause of spleen enlargement.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  1. Ludwig J, McGill DB, Lindor KD: Review: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 12:398-403, 1997

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Raynolds TB, Hidemura R, Michel H, Peters R: Portal hypertension without cirrhosis in alcoholic liver disease. Ann Intern Med 70:497-506, 1969

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Nakano M, Worner TM, Lieber CS. Perivenular fibrosis in alcoholic liver injury: Ultrastructure and histologic progression. Gastroenterology 83:777-785, 1982

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Miyakawa H, Iida S, Leo MA, Greenstein RJ, Zimmon DS, Lieber CS: Pathogenesis of precirrhotic portal hypertension in alcohol-fed baboons. Gastroenterology 88:143-150, 1985

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Orrego H, Blendis LM, Crossley IR, Medline A, MacDonald A, Richie S, Islael Y: Correlation of intrahepatic pressure with collagen in the Disse space and hepatomegaly in human and in the rat. Gastroenterology 80:546-556, 1981

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Israel Y, Britton RS, Orrego H: Liver cell enlargement induced by chronic alcohol consumption: Studies on its causes and consequences. Clin Biochem 15:189-192, 1982

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Blendis LM, Orrego H, Crossley IR, Blake JE, Medline A, Israel Y: The role of hepatocyte enlargement in hepatic pressure in cirrhotic and noncirrhotic alcoholic liver disease. Hepatology 2:539-546, 1982

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Israel Y, Orrego H, Colman JC, Britton RS: Alcohol-induced hepatomegaly: Pathogenesis and role in the production of portal hypertension. Federation Proc 41:2472-2477, 1981

    Google Scholar 

  9. Colman JC, Britton RS, Orrego H, Saldivia V, Medline A, Islael Y: Relation between osmotically induced hepatocyte enlargement and portal hypertension. Am J Physiol 245:G382-G387, 1983

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Schaffner F: Non-alcoholic fatty liver. In Bockus Gastroenterology, 4th ed. JE Berk (ed). Philadelphia, WB Saunders Company, 1985, pp 3049-3061.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Czyzewski K, Jaworski Z: Functional portal hypertension and fatty liver. J Int Coll Surg 44:533-539, 1965

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Yoshihara H, Hijioka T, Eguchi H, Fukui H, Goto M, Inoue A, Kawano S, Sato N, Kamada T: Hepatic microcirculatory disturbance in fatty liver as a cause of portal hypertension. J Gastro Hepatol Suppl 1:279-281, 1989

    Google Scholar 

  13. Wada K, Fujimoto K, Fujikawa Y, Shibayama Y, Mitsui H, Nakata K: Sinusoidal stenosis as the cause of portal hypertension in choline deficient diet induced fatty cirrhosis of the rat liver. Acta Pathol Jpn 24:207-217, 1974

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Piekarski J, Goldberg HI, Royal SA, Axel L, Moss AA: Difference between liver and spleen CT numbers in the normal adult: Its usefulness in predicting the presence of diffuse liver disease. Radiology 137:727-729, 1980

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Ricci C, Longo R, Gioulis E, Bosco M, Pollesello P, Masutti F, Croce LS, Paoletti S, de Bernard B, Tiribelli C, Palma LD: Non-invasive in vivo quantitative assessment of fat content in human liver. J Hepatol 27:108-113, 1997

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Heymsfield SB, Fulenwinder T, Nordlinger B, Barlow R, Sones P, Kutner M: Accurate measurement of liver, kidney, and spleen volume and mass by computerized axial tomography. Ann Intern Med 90:185-187, 1979

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Staron RB, Ford E: Computed tomographic volumetric calculation reproducibility. Invest Radiol 21:272-274, 1986

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. James O, Day C. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: Another disease of affluence. Lancet 353:1634-1636, 1999

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Bashist B, Hecht HL, Harley WD: Computed tomographic demonstration of rapid changes in fatty infiltration of the liver. Radiology 142:691-692, 1982

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Nomura F, Ohnishi K, Ochiai T, Okuda K: Obesity-related nonalcoholic fatty liver: CT features and follow-up studies after low-calorie diet. Radiology 162:845-847, 1987

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. RS Cotran, V Kumar, SL Robbins (eds): Spleen. In Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease, 5th ed. Philadelphia, WB Saunders Company, 1994, pp 667-671

  22. Hancock SL, Scidmore NS, Hopkins KL, Cox R, Bergin CJ: Computed tomography assessment of splenic size as a predictor of splenic weight and desease involvement in laparotomy staged Hodgkin's disease. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 28:93-99, 1993

    Google Scholar 

  23. Ogiu N, Nakamura Y, Ijiri I, Hiraiwa K, Ogiu T: A statistical analysis of the internal organ weights of normal Japanese people. Health Phys 72:368-383, 1997

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Prassopoulos P, Daskalogiannaki M, Raissaki M, Hatjidakis A, Gourtsoyiannis N: Determination of normal splenic volume on computed tomography in relation to age, gender and body habitus. Eur Radiol 7:246-248, 1997

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Motojima General Hospital, 3-2 Nishi-Honcho, Ohta, Gunma, 373-0033, Japan

    Yoshito Tsushima & Keigo Endo

  2. Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Gunma University Hospital, 3-14-16 Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 371, Japan

    Yoshito Tsushima & Keigo Endo

Authors
  1. Yoshito Tsushima
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Keigo Endo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Tsushima, Y., Endo, K. Spleen Enlargement in Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver. Dig Dis Sci 45, 196–200 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005446418589

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005446418589

Search

Navigation