The hypoechoic caudate lobe: an ultrasonic pseudolesion

The hypoechoic caudate lobe may occur as a normal variant because of acoustic shadowing in patients with more than the usual amounts of fat or fibrous tissue along the fissure of the ligamentum venosum. The use of a lower frequency transducer may cause the shadowing to decrease or disappear and the caudate lobe to appear more normal. The problem may also be resolved by angling the static scanner from the side or by using a real-time scanner. If pathologic lesions are still suspected, correlation with computed tomography is recommended.