Displaced lateral surface of the liver (Hellmer's sign) secondary to an extraperitoneal fluid collection

In 1942, Bellmer (1) first described visualization of a medially displaced lateral liver edge on abdominal radiographs in patients with ascites. In Hellmer's original article and all cases subsequently reported, this appearance was described as being pathognomonic of intraperitoneal fluid. This paper reports the occurrence of Hellmer's sign in a patient with a large extraperitoneal fluid collection extending into the flank. Thus the differential diagnosis associated with a medially displaced lateral liver edge includes pathologic processes in both the intra- and extraperitoneal spaces.