Key Points All adult patients known or suspected to have cirrhosis require esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) to check for the presence of varices. All adult cirrhotic patients with medium or large varices,…
Key Points: Adults Obesity rates are increasing worldwide. Adults with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30 (Caucasian) or more than 27 (Asian) are classified as obese and…
Key Points Cirrhosis may be entirely asymptomatic with no clinical signs. Routine laboratory tests that may suggest underlying cirrhosis include: thrombocytopenia, hyperbilirubinemia, and hypoalbuminemia. Non-invasive tests (serum panels and transient…
Key Points Ascites in a cirrhotic due to liver failure is a bad prognostic sign. MELD (see Chapters 2 and 4) should be calculated and liver transplantation should be considered….
Key Points Investigation of masses in the liver is largely radiological and biopsy is only necessary if radiological investigations fail to identify a cause with certainty. Hemangiomas are harmless and…
Key Points Country of birth is the most important risk factor for HBV infection. Age at acquisition is strongly associated with the risk of chronic infection (95% of infants develop…
Key Points Virtually any drug can be a source of hepatotoxicity. Drugs are the commonest identified cause of fulminant hepatic failure in most Western centers. Recognition of the pattern of…
Key Points Early complications after liver transplantation include bleeding, bile leaks, anastomotic and non-anastomotic biliary strictures, and hepatic artery or portal vein thrombosis (seen most often in children). Acute cellular…
Key Points Patients should be considered for liver transplantation if they have evidence of fulminant hepatic failure, a life-threatening systemic complication of liver disease, or a liver-based metabolic defect. Organ…
Key Points The precise cause of fulminant hepatic failure is often unclear; drugs, especially acetaminophen, are the most common identified cause in many centers. Fulminant hepatic failure is a multisystem…
