Liver span in school age Jordanian children

ABSTRACT

Liver span was determined in 504 healthy school age Jordanian children. Percussion was used to determine the upper and lower borders of the liver. Liver span increased in both sexes with age, height, and weight. In boys, liver span ranged from a mean of 6 cm at six years to a mean of 7.7 cm at 12 years of age. The range for girls was from 4.2-6.8 cm. The liver projected below the right costal margin in 6.6% of boys and 3.8% of girls. The spleen was not palpable in any of the children examined. Liver span in children has been estimated using the techniques of percussion, palpation, and roentgenography[1-4]. Peternel et al[5]. reported that percussion in the midclavicular line was superior to palpation in determining the liver size. Lawson et al[6]. found that percussion is adequate and suggested its regular use for determining liver size in infants and children. Because there is no data about liver size in Jordanian children, this study was undertaken to determine the liver size in healthy school age Jordanian children using the percussion method: