Computed Tomography of the Liver in Wilson Disease

Abstract

Computed tomography (CT) of the upper abdomen was performed in 24 patients with Wilson disease. Hepatic attenuation (range 44.7 to 69.3, mean 58.4 Hounsfield units) was found to be within normal limits, even for those patients known to have a markedly elevated liver copper content at the time of the CT study. In some patients the liver had a rather broad distribution of attenuation values (as measured by the standard deviation around the mean density and seen as mild nodularity). However, such a nodular appearance can be seen in many forms of liver disease. It appears that CT of the liver has little to offer in the diagnosis or management of Wilson disease.