Infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a worldwide epidemic affecting up to 3% of the world’s population. Approximately 80% of people infected with HCV will go on to develop…
David A. Sass, MD, AGAF, Guest Editor It is my distinct privilege to be the guest editor of the September 2011 issue of Gastroenterology Clinics of North America entitled, “Hepatology…
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…
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 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 (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 (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…
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…
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,…
Acute liver failure (ALF), also referred as “fulminant hepatic failure,” is a rare syndrome characterized by rapid onset of severe hepatic dysfunction in the absence of preexistent liver disease. The…
