Liver and Spleen Scans: What Conditions Can They Detect?

Liver scans can detect:

- Liver tumors, including both benign and malignant tumors.

- Liver cysts, which are noncancerous fluid-filled sacs.

- Hemangiomas, which are noncancerous blood vessel growths.

- Focal nodular hyperplasia, which is a noncancerous condition in which there are multiple small nodules in the liver.

- Cirrhosis, which is a condition in which the liver is scarred and damaged.

- Hepatitis, which is an inflammation of the liver.

- Fatty liver disease, which is a condition in which there is too much fat in the liver.

- Biliary atresia, which is a condition in which the bile ducts are not formed properly.

Spleen scans can detect:

- Splenic tumors, including both benign and malignant tumors.

- Splenic cysts, which are noncancerous fluid-filled sacs.

- Splenic abscesses, which are collections of pus in the spleen.

- Splenomegaly, which is an enlargement of the spleen.

- Hypersplenism, which is a condition in which the spleen is too active and destroys too many red blood cells.

- Splenic trauma, which is an injury to the spleen.