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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Could Enlarged Left Hepatic Artery In The Test Report Suggest?

I have a 13 mm lesion in the L4 vertebral body, a 7.1 x 6.9 x 6.7 cm lesion on the left side of my liver and in the report from my visit it stated that my left hepatic artery and its segmental branches appear enlarged and tortuous.sometimes its nearly impossible to breathe or catch my breathe and I can t move in some instances.Im not sure what all this mean but Im supposed to see a specialist soon but I haven t been given a date yet. do you have any suggestions?
Tue, 2 Jun 2015
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Radiologist,  's  Response
Hello, thanks for writing in to HCM.
I assume you have had a CT Abdomen. Your report mentions a lesion in the left side (possibly means lobe) of liver, and tortuous left hepatic artery and branches- all findings relate to a same specific area.
Tortuosity of hepatic vessels can have many causes- some benign and some related to malignancy. It means increased hepatic flow/pressure, possibly to the liver lesion.
It is more important to know what the liver lesion is- cystic or solid, enhancing or not etc., as enlarged hepatic artery is not a diagnosis or disease in itself.
Similarly, to assess the lesion in the vertebral body, its imaging morphology -lytic or sclerotic in appearance etc is important.

I would recommend further investigations e.g biopsy for the liver lesion, if there is any doubt about its diagnosis.
Kindly see a specialist at the earliest, especially as you are symptomatic.
Hope this helps. Take care.
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What Could Enlarged Left Hepatic Artery In The Test Report Suggest?

Hello, thanks for writing in to HCM. I assume you have had a CT Abdomen. Your report mentions a lesion in the left side (possibly means lobe) of liver, and tortuous left hepatic artery and branches- all findings relate to a same specific area. Tortuosity of hepatic vessels can have many causes- some benign and some related to malignancy. It means increased hepatic flow/pressure, possibly to the liver lesion. It is more important to know what the liver lesion is- cystic or solid, enhancing or not etc., as enlarged hepatic artery is not a diagnosis or disease in itself. Similarly, to assess the lesion in the vertebral body, its imaging morphology -lytic or sclerotic in appearance etc is important. I would recommend further investigations e.g biopsy for the liver lesion, if there is any doubt about its diagnosis. Kindly see a specialist at the earliest, especially as you are symptomatic. Hope this helps. Take care.