Search results for " LIVER"
showing 10 items of 1428 documents
Evaluating the association of serum ferritin and hepatic iron with disease severity in non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease
2019
Background & Aims Hyperferritinemia, with or without increased hepatic iron, represents a common finding in non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, it is unclear whether it reflects hepatic inflammation or true iron‐overload and, in case the latter is confirmed, whether this influences disease progression. We therefore explored the association between serum ferritin, degree and pattern of hepatic iron deposition and liver disease severity in patients with NAFLD. Methods We selected 468 patients with biopsy‐proven NAFLD from 2 European centres. Iron, hepatic and metabolic parameters were collected at the time of liver biopsy. Iron deposits in hepatocytes and reticuloendothelial c…
Serial combination of non-invasive tools improves the diagnostic accuracy of severe liver fibrosis in patients with NAFLD
2017
SummaryBackground The accuracy of available non-invasive tools for staging severe fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is still limited. Aim To assess the diagnostic performance of paired or serial combination of non-invasive tools in NAFLD patients. Methods We analysed data from 741 patients with a histological diagnosis of NAFLD. The GGT/PLT, APRI, AST/ALT, BARD, FIB-4, and NAFLD Fibrosis Score (NFS) scores were calculated according to published algorithms. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) was performed by FibroScan. Results LSM, NFS and FIB-4 were the best non-invasive tools for staging F3-F4 fibrosis (AUC 0.863, 0.774, and 0.792, respectively), with LSM ha…
Clinical Predictors for Poor Quality of Life in Patients With Covert Hepatic Encephalopathy.
2018
Background Current EASL/AASLD guidelines recommend treatment of covert hepatic encephalopathy (HE) only in symptomatic patients, for example, in those with impaired quality of life or with affected driving abilities. Goals Because testing for impaired quality of life is time consuming, the aim of the present study was to identify simple clinical predictors for poor quality of life in patients with covert HE (CHE). Study In total, 139 cirrhotic in- and outpatients without a history of overt hepatic encephalopathy were enrolled. Diagnosis of HE grade 1 (HE1) was diagnosed clinically according to the West-Haven Criteria. Critical flicker frequency and the Psychometric Hepatic Encephalopathy Sc…
The combination of liver stiffness measurement and NAFLD fibrosis score improves the noninvasive diagnostic accuracy for severe liver fibrosis in pat…
2014
Background & Aims The accuracy of noninvasive tools for the diagnosis of severe fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) in clinical practice is still limited. We aimed at assessing the diagnostic performance of combined noninvasive tools in two independent cohorts of Italian NAFLD patients. Methods We analysed data from 321 Italian patients(179 Sicilian-training cohort, and 142 northern Italy-validation cohort) with an histological diagnosis of NAFLD. Severe fibrosis was defined as fibrosis ≥ F3 according to Kleiner classification. The APRI, AST/ALT, BARD, FIB-4, and NFS scores were calculated according to published algorithms. Liver stiffness measurement(LSM) was …
Focal lesions in cirrhosis: Not always HCC.
2017
Even though most hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) develop in the setting of cirrhosis, numerous other focal liver lesions and pseudolesions may be encountered. The role of the radiologist is therefore to differentiate these lesions from HCC to avoid under- and overdiagnosis. There are several ways of classifying these lesions: those which predate the development of fibrosis and cirrhosis (cystic lesions, hemangioma), those related to or a consequence of cirrhosis (regenerative nodules, dysplastic nodules, focal fibrosis, peribiliary cysts, shunts, or even cholangiocarcinoma), and those related to the underlying cause of chronic liver disease (lymphoma). Finally, some may develop independentl…
Interleukin-6 and its soluble receptor in patients with liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.
2006
AIM: To evaluate the immunohistochemical localization of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) on tumor tissue specimens from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the serum levels of IL-6 and sIL-6R in a group of patients with HCC as well as liver cirrhosis (LC) in a group of patients with LC alone and in a control group. METHODS: Three groups of subjects were studied: group I (n = 83) suffering from HCC and LC, group II (n = 72) suffering from LC alone and group III (n = 42) as healthy controls. All patients had hepatitis C virus infection. Serum IL-6 and IL-6R levels were determined using a commercially available ELISA kit. Immunohistochemistry was performed using the…
Hepatitis C virus genotypes: distribution and clinical significance in patients with cirrhosis type C seen at tertiary referral centres in Europe
2001
The aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution and clinical significance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes in European patients with compensated cirrhosis due to hepatitis C (Child class A) seen at tertiary referral centres. HCV genotypes were determined by genotype-specific primer PCR in 255 stored serum samples obtained from cirrhotics followed for a median period of 7 years. Inclusion criteria were biopsy-proven cirrhosis, absence of complications of cirrhosis and exclusion of all other potential causes of chronic liver disease. The proportion of patients with types 1b, 2, 3a, 1a, 4 and 5 were 69%, 19%, 6%, 5%, 0.5% and 0.5%, respectively. Kaplan-Meier 5-year risk of hepatocel…
Fibrosis staging in chronic hepatitis C: Analysis of discordance between transient elastography and liver biopsy
2009
Summary. In chronic hepatitis C, transient elastography (TE) accurately identifies cirrhosis, but its ability to assess significant fibrosis (Metavir ≥ F2) is variable. Constitutional and liver disease-related factors may influence TE and here we examined the variables associated with differences. Three hundred consecutive hepatitis C virus (HCV)-RNA positive patients had biochemical tests, TE and a biopsy performed on the same day. The Dale model was used to identify the variables associated with discordance between biopsy and elastography results. In 97 patients (34.2%), TE and histological assessment were discordant. Seventy-six of 286 (26.6%) had stage ≥F2 and TE < 7.1 kPa (false negat…
Peripheral nerve involvement in chronic liver disease. Clinical and electrophysiological study.
1986
A clinical and electrophysiological study was carried out on 19 selected patients with chronic liver disease. Clinical signs of peripheral nerve involvement were found in 4 patients (21%); while electrophysiological impairment was present in 11 patients (57.8%). These abnormalities were mostly limited to the sensory and motor fibers of the tibialis posterior nerve. Our data confirm the presence of peripheral nerve involvement in chronic liver disease, and that it may be evidenced by careful electrophysiological examination.
Ultrasound detection of abdominal lymph nodes in chronic liver diseases. A retrospective analysis
2003
Aim: To retrospectively evaluate the prevalence of lymph nodes of the hepato-duodenal ligament in a group of patients with chronic liver disease of various aetiologies and to investigate what clinical, aetiological and laboratory data may lead to their appearance. Materials and methods: One thousand and three patients (554 men, 449 women) were studied, including 557 with chronic hepatitis and 446 with liver cirrhosis. The presence of lymph nodes near the trunk of the portal vein, hepatic artery, celiac axis, superior mesenteric vein and pancreas head was investigated using ultrasound. Results: Lymph nodes were detected in 394 out of the 1003 study patients (39.3%); their number ranged from …