Ascites
Ascites is the buildup of fluid inside the abdomen, often related to liver disease, cancer, infection, or heart problems.
When to get help quickly: Urgent review is more important if ascites develops with fever, severe pain, confusion, breathing difficulty, or rapid worsening of abdominal swelling.
Common symptoms
Symptoms can include abdominal swelling, discomfort, reduced appetite, shortness of breath, weight gain, or a tense feeling in the abdomen.
When imaging helps
Imaging helps confirm that fluid is present, estimate how much there is, look for the cause, and guide drainage procedures when needed.
What radiology does
Ultrasound and CT help confirm the fluid, estimate how much is present, and sometimes guide drainage procedures.
What usually happens next
Treatment depends on the cause and may include medicines, drainage, dietary changes, or management of liver or cancer-related disease.
Seen this on your report?
Your doctor or the radiologist who wrote it can tell you what it means for you.
Related scan guides
- TIPS (Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt)A TIPS procedure builds a life-saving detour entirely inside the liver, relieving dangerously high portal blood pressure to stop variceal bleeding and treat refractory ascites in patients with cirrhosis.
- Image-Guided DrainageImage-guided drainage is a minimally invasive procedure that uses ultrasound or CT scans to guide a small tube (catheter) into fluid collections in your body, allowing them to be drained safely.
- Portal Vein Doppler ScanA portal vein Doppler scan is an ultrasound that measures blood flow through the portal vein, which carries blood from your digestive organs to your liver. It helps detect portal hypertension or blood clots.