What should you know about liver metastases on ultrasound?

Ultrasound uses sound waves to create pictures of the liver. Metastases can appear as one or more areas with a different texture or brightness from nearby liver tissue. Similar appearances can also come from cysts, benign growths, inflammation, or other changes, so an ultrasound description is not the same as a diagnosis.

Your clinician may compare the scan with earlier images and consider symptoms, examination findings, liver blood tests, and any known cancer. A CT or MRI can show the number, size, and position of lesions in more detail. Sometimes a biopsy is considered when imaging cannot answer the question.

Arrange a review with the clinician who requested the scan. Ask what the report actually says, whether the finding is definite or indeterminate, and which test is appropriate next. If cancer has previously been diagnosed, the team may assess the liver alongside the original tumour and the rest of the body.

Treatment depends on the primary cancer, the liver findings, overall health, and whether disease is present elsewhere. Options may include systemic treatment such as Chemotherapy, or selected local approaches such as Liver Resection or Tumour Ablation. Read about Liver Metastases for broader background.

Contact your clinical team promptly if you develop yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, pale stools, worsening upper-abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, confusion, or marked drowsiness. Seek urgent help for severe pain, collapse, difficulty breathing, or sudden confusion.

Ask whether the scan shows a definite lesion or an area needing clarification, what other causes are possible, and whether CT, MRI, blood tests, or biopsy is recommended. Ask how quickly follow-up should happen and who will coordinate the results.