[Value of three-dimensional measurement of the caudate lobe in the diagnosis of liver cirrhosis by ultrasound]. / Valor de la medición tridimensional del lóbulo caudado en el diagnóstico de cirrosis por ultrasonido.

To assess the changes of the caudate lobe in the sonographic diagnosis of liver cirrhosis, 96 patients were studied at the Hospital Vargas de Caracas. 27 with histologically proved cirrhosis. 43 with other disease (30 no related with liver and 13 with hepatic disease without cirrhosis, and 26 patients without clinical evidence of liver disease. The longitudinal (CL), transverse (CT), and anteroposterior (CAP) diameters of the caudate lobe and the transverse diameter of the right lobe (RL) were measured and one, two and three dimensional caudate lobe, indexes and ratios were calculated. The analysis of these criteria revealed that the ratio of the three dimensional caudate index (C13) to the right lobe diameter (C13)/RL = iCL x CT x CAP/RL was superior to all other calculated criteria.