Does liver disease always cause ankle and dorsalis pedis oedema?

Not necessarily. Hepatogenic oedema is most often caused by liver disease such as cirrhosis and mostly presents as ascites, mainly due to water and sodium retention caused by portal hypertension, impaired hepatic lymphatic return and secondary aldosterone increase. However, some patients with liver disease may also present with oedema first in the ankle and then the oedema spreads to the upper part of the body.