The Cross-Sectional Ultrasound Study of Liver Size in Pregnancy with Demographic Correlations in Nigerian Women

Abstract

Background: Ultrasonography is a valuable tool for assessing abdominal organs, including the liver, during pregnancy. Liver imaging is essential to diagnose and monitor liver emergencies and other liver diseases in pregnancy. Pregnancy is associated with physiological changes that can lead to gestational liver enlargement. Aim: To investigate the ultrasonographic measurements of liver length in pregnant women, specifically examining how these measurements correlate with various demographic and clinical parameters. Study Design and Setting: A prospective cross-sectional study conducted from a specialist hospital in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Methodology: 559 healthy pregnant women underwent liver ultrasound, and their anthropometric and demographic data were collected. Liver length was measured, and the data were analysed using SPSS version 21.0 with statistical significance set at p<0.05. Results: The mean liver length was 14.85±3.01 cm (12.0-29.0 cm). Liver length significantly correlated with parity (r=0.503, p=0.0001) but not with age, weight, height, or BMI. Conclusion: The study found that liver size positively correlates with parity but is unaffected by the patients' anthropometric parameters.