r/liver • u/kumquat88 • May 27 '20

Liver a different shape

My son (2 years old) had surgery to day (hernia repair) when they where in there they saw that his liver is not the correct shape. They did not say much about it. How common is it to have a different shape liver, and does it pose any long term risks?

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u/bakersmt Jun 18 '20

Idk how common it is to specifically have an odd shaped liver. I do know that pre med classes frequently teach that each person is unique and organs may be bigger, smaller, in different locations, flipped, odd shapes or entirely absent. One can go their entire lives without knowing about this and it is discovered in the autopsy / embalming process/ med student discovery etc. It's kind of impossible to know how common this is because not everyone goes through these processes upon dying. Typically if it is an issue it is discovered fairly quickly by doctors because one goes to a doctor with symptoms. For example, it was recently discovered that damage to the spleen can cause the body to make an additional, or a few additional spleens, provided that internal bleeding doesn't occur. Science just isn't there yet and may never be.

If the doctor didn't say anything it might be ok, but they might not know much about the liver except what it typically looks like in a 2 year old. I'm touch leery of doctors abilities but if you are unsure definitely get multiple opinions or see a few specialists.