Plain film recognition of the ligamentum teres hepatis

A radiolucent linear shadow can be seen on plain radiographs in the right upper quadrant of 30% of patients. The surface anatomy of the liver and its associated ligaments were studied in the cadaver, clinically, and in surgical patients to determine the cause of this shadow. From these studies it is concluded that the shadow is cast by the fat that normally surrounds the ligamentum teres hepatis. The soft-tissue "mass" that the fat shadow demarcates should not be interpreted as a pathological process.