An abnormally enlarged liver. The word comes from hepato- (hepatic = liver) and -megaly (mega = big).
Causes of hepatomegaly range from chronic alcoholism, chronic liver disease to neoplastic change (whether primary or metastatic).
Hepatomegaly can usually be discerned clinically, even in the most obese of patients, by any doctor worth his salt.
A normal liver span in an adult is about 12 cm in the mid-clavicular line.