The next four lectures will focus on the ultrasound examination of the gallbladder and liver. Liver and gallbladder ultrasonography is a well-coded standard exploration, accepted by the scientific community as a first-line examination for the detection of focal or diffuse hepatic pathology and for the study of the gallbladder wall and content.
Ultrasound exploration of the liver requires good knowledge of the hepatic anatomy.
Given the hepatic volume to be explored, the ultrasound examination technique of the liver must include reference scanning planes essential to the knowledge of the trainee to be able to standardize the examination.
Ultrasound of the gallbladder is theoretically easier than that of the liver.
Fasting is required, and ideally, the patient should be immobilized.
Through multiple examples illustrated by ultrasound images, the ultrasonographic aspect of normal liver and gallbladder anatomy is reviewed and the main pathologies observed in current practice are discussed.
A good knowledge of ultrasound theory, including settings and a judicious choice of probes, is essential prior to the commencement of this training.

The first lecture will review the normal US aspect of the liver and gallbladder.
The objectives of this lecture are to revise the practical and main technical conditions of liver and gallbladder examination, to describe a systematic approach of reference scanning planes, to discuss the normal US aspect of the liver and gallbladder including some variants and to specify several US markers which may be important for the identification of anatomical structures.
At the end of the lecture, the student is able to identify the normal US aspect of the liver and gallbladder and is ready to identify pathological situations.