Hepatology
Expert perspectives on liver disease, viral hepatitis, cirrhosis management, and liver transplantation.
Recent Discussions
How can hepatic venous pressure gradients in patients with cirrhosis be used to differentiate between cardiac cirrhosis and portopulmonary hypertension?
Chronically elevated right-sided filling pressures can lead to a phenotypic appearance of cirrhosis (ascites, cirrhotic appearance) without severe intrinsic hepatic dysfunction. The increased pressures are directly transmitted to the liver, with the right atrial pressure being functionally the same ...
How would you approach asymptomatic hepatic sarcoid?
Hepatic involvement in sarcoidosis is very common. In old autopsy series, as many as 70% of unselected cases of sarcoidosis were found to have granulomatous inflammation in the liver. Today, many possible cases are identified incidentally by more advanced diagnostic testing techniques such as PET sc...
Do you recommend the use of indwelling pleural catheters in the management of patients with hepatic hydrothorax requiring frequent drainage?
The use of an indwelling pleural catheter (IPC) in hepatic hydrothorax (HH) is a nuanced question. One must weigh the benefit of frequent drainage versus the morbidity associated with the catheter as well as the clinical context of the patient.There are somewhat limited data regarding the use of IPC...