Category Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) represents one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease in the United States and globally and is estimated to affect approximately 25% of the world population. The increasing prevalence of NAFLD is attributed…

Alcoholic liver disease remains a major primary cause of chronic liver disease in the United States and worldwide. Furthermore, alcohol is commonly implicated as a major exacerbating factor in many other liver diseases, such as hepatitis C, nonalcoholic fatty liver…

The diagnosis of hepatobiliary disease frequently requires the use of imaging studies to characterize the presence of vascular and parenchymal changes which may facilitate diagnosis and management. Traditional imaging studies include abdominal ultrasonography (US), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance…

Liver cirrhosis is defined as the final, most advanced stage of liver fibrosis based on the Metavir, Batts-Ludwig, and Ishak histopathological staging systems. Cirrhosis represents the end stage of any process resulting in chronic injury to the liver parenchyma. Progressive…

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Although significant improvement in technology has permitted an increasing role for liver imaging, serum diagnostics, and both serum and imaging-based fibrosis tools in routine clinical practice, the liver biopsy remains the gold standard assessment tool for the diagnosis and staging…

Esophageal and gastric variceal bleeding represents a common and potentially life-threatening complication of cirrhosis, and occurs as a consequence of progressive portal hypertension. Patients with cirrhosis are initially categorized as having either compensated or decompensated cirrhosis, the latter defined by…

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a common and debilitating complication of cirrhosis, and is characterized by cognitive impairment which occurs as the consequence of a complex series of alterations in brain functioning due to impaired liver function and portosystemic shunting. Although…