Beaver Tail Liver: A Hepatic Morphology Variant

Area of Science:

• Anatomic variations
• Radiology
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Beaver tail liver is a rare congenital anomaly.
• Characterized by the left lobe of the liver extending to contact and enwrap the spleen.
• More prevalent in females.

Observation:

• A middle-aged male presented with abdominal pain, hematuria, and fever.
• Initial investigations suggested a urinary tract infection.
• CT abdomen revealed the incidental finding of beaver tail liver with the left lobe encircling the spleen.

Findings:

• Beaver tail liver can be challenging to differentiate from splenic pathology on imaging.
• It may mimic splenic trauma, subcapsular hematoma, or perisplenic hemorrhage.
• The anomaly was incidentally found in a male patient presenting with UTI symptoms.

Implications:

• Radiologists and clinicians should be aware of this rare liver variation.
• Consideration of beaver tail liver can prevent misdiagnosis of splenic injuries.
• Understanding this anomaly aids in accurate interpretation of abdominal imaging.