Spleen vs Liver: What You Need to Know About These Vital Organs

You’ve probably heard your liver and spleen mentioned during checkups or blood tests—but what exactly do they do? And how are they different?

While both help keep your blood clean and your immune system strong, the spleen and liver serve very different roles. In this article, you’ll learn where these organs are located, what they do, when they need medical attention, and what tools like ultrasounds or liver spleen scans can reveal.

Where Are the Liver and Spleen Located?

• Liver: Your liver is the largest internal organ. It’s located in the upper right side of your abdomen, just under your rib cage and extending slightly to the left.
  

• Spleen: Your spleen is tucked into the upper left side of your abdomen, behind the stomach and just under your ribs.

These two organs sit on opposite sides of your abdomen, but both connect to your circulatory and immune systems.

What Does the Liver Do?

The liver performs over 500 functions. You can think of it as a filter, a factory, and a fuel manager. Some of its key roles include:

• Detoxification: Removes drugs, alcohol, and harmful byproducts from your blood

• Metabolism: Helps convert food into energy, stores glycogen (blood sugar), and balances hormones

• Bile production: Makes bile to help digest and absorb fats

• Protein synthesis: Produces albumin (keeps fluid in your bloodstream) and clotting factors

• Storage: Holds onto iron, copper, and fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K)

• Immune defense: Contains Kupffer cells that destroy pathogens

Without a liver, survival isn’t possible—it supports over 500 body functions.

What Does the Spleen Do?

Your spleen is part of the lymphatic system. Though small, it plays a big role in blood quality and immune function:

• Filters blood: Removes old, damaged, or misshapen red blood cells

• Fights infections: Stores and activates white blood cells and antibodies

• Recycles iron: Breaks down hemoglobin and returns usable iron to your body

• Stores blood: Holds extra blood and platelets for emergencies like bleeding or trauma

While it’s possible to live without your spleen, doing so makes you more vulnerable to serious infections.

How Do the Liver and Spleen Work Together?

Though their main jobs are different, the liver and spleen are closely connected through the portal venous system. This network moves nutrient-rich blood from the digestive system to the liver—and sends blood from the spleen for filtration and immune checks.

Conditions like portal hypertension (high blood pressure in the liver’s blood flow) can back things up, leading to spleen swelling and other complications.

Explore more about how liver conditions affect blood work in our guide on creatinine levels.

What Is a Liver and Spleen Ultrasound?

A liver and spleen ultrasound is a safe, painless imaging test. It uses high-frequency sound waves to capture images of your organs in real time.

Doctors use this test to check for:

• Liver size, shape, or fatty deposits

• Signs of cirrhosis or fibrosis

• Spleen size and structure

• Cysts, abscesses, or tumors

• Blood flow patterns using Doppler technology

You might need an ultrasound if you have belly pain, abnormal bloodwork, or symptoms like fatigue, jaundice, or swelling.

Thinking about your first scan? Here’s what to know: Should I worry about a liver ultrasound?

What Is a Liver Spleen Scan?

A liver-spleen scan is a nuclear medicine test. It involves injecting a small amount of radioactive tracer into your bloodstream. A special camera then captures how the tracer moves through your liver and spleen.

This test helps evaluate:

• Liver scarring (cirrhosis)

• Splenic infarcts (areas of dead tissue from blocked blood flow)

• Portal hypertension

• Abnormal blood pooling or trauma

It’s more advanced than a typical ultrasound and often used when more detail is needed.

For more on early signs of liver dysfunction, explore our article on early detection of liver disease. 

Common Liver and Spleen Problems

Liver Conditions

• Fatty liver disease (nonalcoholic or alcoholic)

• Hepatitis (viral inflammation)

• Cirrhosis (scarring of the liver)

• Liver cancer

• Hemochromatosis (iron overload)

Spleen Conditions

• Splenomegaly (enlarged spleen)

• Ruptured spleen (usually from injury)

• Hypersplenism (an overactive spleen that removes too many blood cells)

In some cases, problems in the liver—like portal hypertension—can lead to spleen enlargement.

Liver conditions can often trigger spleen changes—especially if the liver is scarred or struggling with blood flow. Read more in our breakdown of liver cancer stages.

What Are the Symptoms of Liver and Spleen Issues?

You may notice:

• Ongoing fatigue

• Pain or fullness in your upper abdomen

• Yellowing of the skin (jaundice)

• Easy bruising or bleeding

• Swelling in your belly

• Frequent infections

If these symptoms sound familiar, ask your doctor if an imaging test like a liver and spleen ultrasound is right for you.

If your symptoms include kidney-related signs too, check out how to protect your kidneys.

Can Liver and Spleen Problems Be Treated?

Yes—many of these conditions are treatable.

• Fatty liver Often improves with lifestyle changes and liver-friendly diets

• Viral hepatitis can be managed with medications

• Spleen issues may improve with treatment of the underlying cause

• In severe cases, surgery may be needed (e.g., splenectomy or liver transplant)

Catching these issues early can make a big difference in your long-term health.

Want to track liver health from home? Consider our at-home liver test kits.

What’s the Difference Between Liver vs Spleen in Imaging?

Here’s how the two compare:

How Can You Keep These Organs Healthy?

To support liver and spleen health:

• Drink plenty of water daily

• Avoid excess alcohol and added sugars

• Get vaccinated for hepatitis A and B

• Eat a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and lean protein

• Exercise regularly to reduce liver fat and support circulation

• Monitor your liver values with an at-home liver test

For daily wellness tracking, read our guide to monitoring glucose levels at home, which ties into liver and kidney health too.

Final takeaway

Your liver and spleen may be out of sight, but they should never be out of mind. They quietly support your digestion, immune defense, and blood health every day. By recognizing symptoms early and using imaging tools like liver and spleen ultrasound or a liver spleen scan, you can catch issues before they become serious.

And with the right habits, you can keep both organs working well for years to come.

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Try Ribbon Checkup’s at-home liver test

References

References

Clinic, C. (2021, February 18). Liver: What It Does, Disorders & Symptoms, Staying Healthy. Retrieved June 23, 2025, from Cleveland Clinic website: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/21481-liver 

Clinic, C. (2023a, August 25). A liver ultrasound is a simple and painless way to screen for liver diseases, including cirrhosis, fatty liver, cancer and other lesions. Retrieved June 23, 2025, from Cleveland Clinic website: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/liver-ultrasound 

Clinic, C. (2023b, September 6). A liver-spleen scan is a type of nuclear medicine imaging test. It uses a mild radioactive tracer to highlight problem areas in your liver and spleen. Retrieved June 23, 2025, from Cleveland Clinic website: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/17180-liver-spleen-scan 

Clinic, C. (2023c, September 8). Spleen: Function, Location & Size, Possible Problems. Retrieved June 23, 2025, from Cleveland Clinic website: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21567-spleen 

Takuji Torimura. (2016). Spleen and Liver. Springer EBooks, 35–50. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55790-6_3 

Watson, S. (2018, March 8). What Does the Spleen Do? Retrieved June 23, 2025, from Healthline website: https://www.healthline.com/health/what-does-the-spleen-do