Liver Disease in Pregnancy
This article briefly discusses gestational physiologic changes and thereafter reviews liver diseases during pregnancy, which are divided into 3 main categories. The first category includes conditions that are unique to…
When to Reconsider the Diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a highly prevalent disorder characterized by nonspecific symptoms that can mimic other common medical conditions. A careful history and physical examination may reveal clues that…
Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Women
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a complex clinical process with multiple pathophysiologic mechanisms. There has recently been a shift in the treatment of patients with severe IBS symptoms to disease-modifying…
Alcoholic Hepatitis: Prognostic Models and Treatment
Severity scores for alcoholic hepatitis Alcoholic hepatitis (AH) is a distinct subset of patients with alcoholic liver disease and has a potential for high mortality within 3 to 6 months…
Long-Term Management of the Liver Transplant Recipient: Pearls for the Practicing Gastroenterologist
According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, from 1988 to 2010, the number of annual liver transplants has increased from 1713 to 6291. Patient survival rates…
Liver Transplantation in the 21st Century: Expanding the Donor Options
Liver transplantation has evolved since Dr. Thomas Starzl performed the first orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) over 4 decades ago. Advances in immunosuppressive therapy, medical management, surgical technique, and identification of…
Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Locoregional and Targeted Therapies
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer and is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The continued rise in HCC incidence and mortality emphasizes the need…
Hepatorenal Syndrome: Do the Vasoconstrictors Work?
Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is a potentially reversible clinical syndrome that occurs in patients with cirrhosis, ascites and liver failure, as well as in patients with acute liver failure or alcoholic…
Managing Varices: Drugs, Bands, and Shunts
Up to 50% of patients with cirrhosis have esophageal varices at initial endoscopy, and nearly all patients with varices have a high portal pressure, that is, an hepatic venous pressure…
Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Pharmacologic and Surgical Options
The association of hepatic steatosis with inflammatory changes and fibrosis in obese patients was first described over half a century ago. Although initially thought to be a relatively benign entity,…
