Bruised Liver (Contusion)
A bruised liver or a liver contusion occurs after a direct impact to the torso, resulting in bleeding within the organ. Car accidents are the most common cause of this injury.
Symptoms of a Bruised Liver
- Sudden pain on impact.
- Pain and tenderness in the upper right of the abdomen.
- Referred pain into the right shoulder.
- Nausea.
- In severe injuries when a lot of blood is lost, the patient could develop shock and possibly loose consciousness.
- Severe injuries could actually be a laceration (tear) of the liver.
Treatment of a Liver Contusion
- Seek medical attention immediately.
- Your doctor will examine you and may perform an ultrasound or CT scan to assess the damage.
- If the injury is just a contusion with no tearing then close observation is recommended for several days.
- Blood tests will be repeated daily to check for blood loss.
- The CT scan or ultrasound may also be repeated after a few days to check the liver is healing and there has been no bleeding.
- Contusions tend to be relatively mild injuries which heal within a week or so.
