What causes Mickey Mouse ears in the liver on ultrasound?
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Answer:
Normal anatomical arrangement of the portal triad at the porta hepatis on transverse ultrasound, where the portal vein forms the central head and the adjacent common bile duct and hepatic artery form the lateral ears; seen in healthy individuals and also applied to describe certain aneurysm configurations. This produces the Mickey Mouse ears appearance on imaging.
Why is it called so?:
Resembles the silhouette of Mickey Mouse’s head with prominent rounded ears due to the central circular portal vein flanked by the smaller tubular structures of the common bile duct and hepatic artery.
Pathophysiology:
Not applicable as this represents normal vascular and biliary anatomy without pathological alteration; the sign arises from the inherent spatial orientation of these structures in the hepatoduodenal ligament at the porta hepatis.
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