What is homogeneous parenchyma mean?

Homogeneous: uniform appearance of the thyroid parenchyma. Heterogeneous: non-uniform appearance of the parenchyma, due to an irregular echo pattern showing numerous micro-nodules or echogenic septa.

What does liver parenchyma mean?

The liver parenchyma is mostly comprised by liver cells (hepatocytes). The major supporting cells are Kupffer cells and stellate cells. Kupffer cells are the resident mononuclear phagocytes. In quiescent state, the stellate cells are responsible for vitamin A storage and metabolism.

Is your liver supposed to be homogeneous?

A normal liver is minimally hyperechogenic or isoechogenic compared with the normal renal cortex1 (Figure 1A and B). The most common cause of hyperechogenic liver (increased liver echogenicity compared with the renal cortex) in routine practice is steatosis, otherwise known as “fatty liver”.

What does homogeneous mean in a CT scan?

For example, a dermoid cyst has heterogeneous attenuation on CT. It is the antonym for homogeneous, meaning a structure with similar components. Heterogenous refers to a structure having a foreign origin. For example, heterogenous bone formation is bone where bone should not exist.

What causes parenchymal liver disease?

The most common causes of cirrhosis are: Hepatitis and other viruses. Alcohol abuse. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (this happens from metabolic syndrome and is caused by conditions such as obesity, high cholesterol and triglycerides, and high blood pressure)

What are the symptoms of liver parenchymal disease?

Classic symptoms of liver disease include nausea, vomiting, right upper quadrant abdominal pain, and jaundice (a yellow discoloration of the skin due to elevated bilirubin concentrations in the bloodstream). Fatigue, weakness, and weight loss may also occur.

What does homogeneous mean in medical terms?

Medical Definition of homogeneous : of uniform structure or composition throughout.

What does homogeneous appearance mean?

V2 Vocabulary Building Dictionary Use homogeneous to describe anything that is uniform in appearance or nature, and use heterogeneous to describe things that vary in nature and appearance. Homogeneous can also refer to a mathematical equation in which all of the terms are of the same degree.