The Echogenic Liver: Steatosis and Beyond

Ultrasound is the most common modality used to evaluate the liver. An echogenic liver is defined as increased echogenicity of the liver parenchyma compared with the renal cortex. The prevalence of echogenic liver is approximately 13% to 20%. In most clinical settings, increased liver echogenicity is simply attributed to hepatic steatosis. It is important to recognize other hepatic and systemic diseases including cirrhosis, viral hepatitis, glycogen storage disease, and hemochromatosis that may also cause an echogenic liver and to identify the associated findings to distinguish them from hepatic steatosis.