Assessment of the Size of the Liver

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Abstract
ASSESSMENT of the size of the liver is often erratic. Downward displacement of the lower edge as determined by palpation or the plain roentgenogram is sometimes misleading. It is generally understood that an accurate evaluation of liver size also requires information concerning its upper border as manifested by the position of the diaphragm. What is not commonly appreciated, however, is the fact that other constitutional variations in shape and position of the liver may alter the significance of clinical findings. Thus, in numerous clinical records and published reports one may find statements that "the liver edge was palpable several fingerbreadths . . .