How to Test for Liver Problems

The liver is an organ located in the abdomen, but it serves more than just a digestive role. Aside from its responsibilities to help digest food and store nutrients, it also purges the blood of toxic chemicals and restores energy.

According to data compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics, the American Liver Foundation, and the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), 27,000 people in the U.S. die yearly from liver-related problems.

There are three basic ways doctors test for liver problems: laboratory blood tests, imaging tests and a procedural liver biopsy.

Instructions

Blood Tests

• 1

  Have your doctor take a sample of your blood to test for the albumin level. The liver produces this protein, so if the albumin level is below normal, (less than 3.5 g/dl), it may indicate that you have a chronic liver disorder.

• 2

  The doctor will check your bilirubin level from the same blood sample. Bilirubin is produced by the liver and released in the bile, so if it is present in high concentration in your blood, it means that bilirubin has overflowed into the bloodstream. This indicates that your liver is not functioning properly or that bile flow is impeded.

• 3

  Verify your blood count. There may be a lower red blood cell count if you have liver disease.

• 4

  Verify your alkaline-phosphate level. The liver has a high concentration of alkaline-phosphate tissues, so if there is a high concentration of these minerals in your blood, it may mean there are lesions in your liver.

• 5

  Have your doctor check aspartate transaminas, alanine transaminase, aminotransferases, and lactic dehydrogenase levels. These enzymes are present in higher quantities in the bloodstream when there are damaged liver cells.

• 6

  Have your doctor test how long it takes for your blood to clot through a prothrombin time test (PT). Blood clotting requires vitamin K and a liver-produced protein, so if it takes too long for your blood to clot, it indicates your liver may not be functioning properly.

Imaging Tests

• 7

  See an ultrasound technician to have an ultrasound imaging test done. The test uses sound waves to produce an image of your liver. The technician will apply gel to your abdomen and sweep a transducer along your skin to see if blood is flowing through the organ's vessels properly and see if the organ itself is intact.

• 8

  Ask your doctor for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of your liver. You will be placed on a bed which will slide into a cylindrical tube that takes pictures of your liver using radio waves and magnetic fields.

• 9

  Have your doctor perform a computed tomography (CT) scan of your liver. The test will take snapshots of cross-sectional "slices" of the liver as you lie on bed that passes through a circular tube. The pictures will allow your doctor to see signs of liver damage.

Liver Biopsy

• 10

  The doctor may first perform an ultrasound or CT scan to inject at the right location.

• 11

  Lie on your back with your right hand resting above your head.

• 12

  The doctor will administer a local anesthetic to numb the skin before penetrating it deeper. In some cases, the doctor may administer a sedative or anesthetic intravenously.

• 13

  The doctor will inject a biopsy needle through the skin into the liver to obtain a sample of tissue.

• 14

  The doctor will examine the tissue sample through a microscope and share the results with you.