Medical Testing To Rule Out Liver Disease

Liver disease can be caused by infections such as hepatitis, excessive alcohol intake, certain drugs, and obesity. It can be acute or chronic, and it may cause jaundice (yellowing of skin and whites of the eyes), abdominal distension and pain, nausea, pale stools, and dark urine. If you have any of these signs and symptoms of liver disease, your physician may recommend medical testing to rule out or confirm a liver disease diagnosis. Here are some medical testing procedures that can reveal liver disease or dysfunction.

Bilirubin And Liver Enzyme Tests

Bilirubin is a yellowish or orange pigment that is manufactured in your liver. Elevated bilirubin levels in your blood may point to liver disease, however, rises in bilirubin can simply mean that you have a viral infection or that you are dehydrated.

In addition to checking your serum bilirubin levels to assess your liver function, medical testing such as an alkaline phosphatase blood test and a lactate dehydrogenase blood test may also be indicated to evaluate your liver function. If your bilirubin and liver enzyme tests are abnormal, other medical testing procedures such as diagnostic imaging tests may be recommended.

Liver Scan

 A liver scan may be ordered by your doctor if you have abnormal blood tests or have symptoms of liver disease. This test may be performed to check for cirrhosis of the liver, cysts, benign or malignant tumors, and hepatitis. Liver scans are painless, however, before your procedure begins, you will get an intravenous line so that a special solution known as a radionuclide can be injected into your vein.

You will need to remain still during your liver scan and once the procedure has been completed, the intravenous line will be discontinued. Your physician will ask you to drink plenty of water when you get home from getting your liver scan for the next day or so to help flush the radionuclide out of your body. You probably will not have any dietary or activity restrictions following your liver scan, which means that you can eat the way you normally do, go back to work, and resume all of your regular activities. 

If you have any symptoms of liver disease, make an appointment with your primary care doctor. Once your physician performs a comprehensive examination and gets the results of your medical tests, they will then recommend the appropriate treatment protocol if you have liver disease. For more information on medical testing, contact a professional near you.