Health Tips » Human

How is non alcoholic fatty liver disease treated?

ashish — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 09:13:47 +0000

Liver disease is also called hepatic disease. This is in terms of group of single number of diseases affecting the liver. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a liver disease.
- This is one cause of a fatty liver.
- This occurrs when fat is deposited (steatosis) in the liver.
- It is not due to excessive alcohol use.
- It is related to insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome.
- This is involved with symptoms such as weight loss, metformin and thiazolidinediones.
- Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the most extreme form of NAFLD.
- This is regarded as a major cause of cirrhosis of the liver of unknown cause.

Relevant blood tests for diagnosis of NAFLD are:
- erythrocyte sedimentation rate
- glucose
- albumin
- renal function
- coagulation related studies
- the INR (international normalized ratio)

Blood tests (serology) are usually used to rule out:
- viral hepatitis (hepatitis A, B, C, EBV, CMV andherpes viruses),
- rubella,
- autoimmune related diseases
- hypothyroidism

Treatment of Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease NAFLD
Treatment of nutrition and excessive body weight:
- Nutritional counseling: Diet changes have shown significant histological improvement.
- Gradual weight loss may improve the process in obese patients; rapid loss may worsen NAFLD.
- A recent meta-analysis presented at the Annual Meeting of American Association for Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) reported that weight-loss surgery leads to improvement and or resolution of NASH in around 80 % of patients.
- Insulin sensitisers (metformin and thiazolidinediones) have shown efficacy in some studies.
- Ursodeoxycholic acid and lipid-lowering drugs, have little benefit.

Treatment also includes:
- Interventional Treatments for Liver Disease(Society of Interventional Radiology).
- Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS)(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America).

Alternative Therapy
- Dandelion (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine)
- Kava Linked to Liver Damage (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine)
- Milk Thistle (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine)

Nutrition
- Diet and Your Liver(American Liver Foundation) .

Specific Conditions
- Acute Liver Failure(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research).
- Alagille Syndrome (National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse).
- Alcohol-Related Liver Disease(American Liver Foundation)
- Alcoholic Hepatitis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
-Benign Liver Tumors(American Liver Foundation)
- Blood Vessel Disorders of the Liver(Merck & Co., Inc.)
- Budd-Chiari Syndrome(Merck & Co., Inc.)
- Enlarged Liver(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Gilbert’s Syndrome(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Liver Cysts: A Cause of Abdominal Pain?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Liver Hemangioma(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease(American Liver Foundation)
- Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Also available in Spanish
- Portal Hypertension (Merck & Co., Inc.)
- Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

What are causes and symptoms of non alcoholic fatty liver disease?

ashish — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 13:16:44 +0000

Causes of Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
- Fatigue
- Malaise
- Dull right-upper-quadrant abdominal discomfort
- Mild jaundice
- Abnormal liver function tests
- Alcohol consumption of over 20 g/day
- Insulin resistance
- Metabolic syndrome
- Obesity
- Combined hyperlipidemia
- Diabetes mellitus (type II)
- High blood pressure

Secondary Causes
NAFLD can also be caused by some medications.
- Amiodarone
- Antiviral drugs (nucleoside analogues)
- Aspirin rarely as part of Reye’s syndrome in children
- Corticosteroids
- Methotrexate
- Tamoxifen
- Tetracycline

Symptoms present in advanced stages of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease are:
- Lack of appetite
- Unexplained weight loss
- Nausea
- Small, red spider veins under your skin or easy bruising
- Weakness
- Jaundice
- Bleeding from engorged veins in your esophagus or intestines
- Loss of interest in sex
- Fluid in your abdominal cavity
- Itching on your hands and feet and eventually on your entire body
- Swelling of your legs and feet
- Fatigue
- Malaise
- Dull right-upper-quadrant abdominal discomfort
- Mild jaundice

What are different treatment options available for treating liver cancer?

ashish — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 07:44:54 +0000

These are some of the treatments available:
- Surgery,
- Immunotherapy,
- Photodynamic Therapy,
- Hyperthermia,
- Radiation Therapy
- Radiosurgery
The best option for curing liver cancer is surgery.

Other techniques used to treat liver cancer are:
- Including inserting needles into the tumor.
- Destroying the tumor (ablation).
- Injecting a substance into the tumor to deprive it of the blood supply it needs (embolization).
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy

The best treatment for the liver cancer is based on:
- Age, overall health, and medical history.
- Extent of the disease.
- Stage of the cancer.
- Your tolerance of specific medicines, procedures, or therapies.
- Expectations for the course of the disease.
- Your opinion or preference.

Surgery
- Surgery is the only way to cure liver cancer.
- The most common type of surgery for liver cancer is resection (removal of the cancer).
- The presence of cirrhosis of the liver makes surgical resection less successful.
- It may require the entire liver to be removed and replaced with a donated liver (liver transplant).
- Surgery depends on whether the part of your liver that is not affected by the cancer is healthy.
- When part of your liver is removed, enough healthy liver tissue left is to be taken care of, to carry out all of the critical jobs of the liver.

Ablation
- Ablation destroys the tumor without removing it.
- It is a good option for patients with small liver tumors.
- This process uses high-energy radio waves, alcohol injections and very cold metal probes to destroy the tumor.

Embolization
- Tumors need the oxygen supplied by blood to grow.
- Embolization stops blood from flowing to the tumor.
- Embolization can be done by injecting substances that plug the artery.
- This is sometimes combined with chemotherapy (chemoembolization) or radiation therapy (radioembolization).

Chemotherapy
- Chemotherapy drugs kill cancerous cells.
- It works by stopping cancer cells from growing or reproducing, which kills the cells.
- Chemotherapy may be taken by mouth in pill form or injected into a vein or muscle.
- Sometimes it is injected into a hepatic artery through a thin tube (catheter).
- This process is known as chemoembolization.

Radiation Therapy
- Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.
- Radiation therapy for liver cancer is usually delivered internally.
- It is done by inserting a radioactive substance into the body.

Targeted Therapy
- Targeted therapy blocks the steps involved in the growth and proliferation of cancer cells.
- Targeted therapy drug may be taken by mouth or in a pill form.
- The main targeted therapy for liver cancer is a drug called Nexavar (sorafenib tosylate).

Hepatocellular Carcinoma
- Partial hepatectomy to resect the entire tumor.
- Liver transplantation.
- Cryoablation.
- Chemoembolization.
- Radiotherapy.
- Sorafenib.
- Radiofrequency ablation.
- Radiofrequency ablation combined with local chemotherapy.

Cholangiocarcinoma
- Photodynamic therapy.
- Brachytherapy.
- Radiotherapy.
- Liver transplantation.

Hepatoblastoma
- Chemotherapy, including vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin.
- Radiotherapy.
- Liver transplantation.
- Surgical resection.

How is liver cancer diagnosed?

ashish — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:26:19 +0000

Liver cancer is also known as hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC. It is a cancer that originates in liver. Liver cancers are malignant tumors that grow on the surface or inside the liver.

Diagnosis of Liver Cancer

Blood Tests
- Liver cancer depends so much on the vigilance of the physician screening with a tumor marker (alpha-fetoprotein) in the blood and radiological imaging studies.
- If the blood tests become abnormal or worsen due to liver cancer, this usually signifies extensive cancerous involvement of the liver.
- in liver cancer, the cancerous liver cells may take on the characteristics of other types of cells.
- For example, liver cancer cells sometimes can produce hormones that are ordinarily produced in other body systems.
- These hormones then can cause certain abnormal blood tests
- These include a high red blood count (erythrocytosis), low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and high blood calcium (hypercalcemia).
- High serum cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia), is seen in up to 10% of patients from Africa with liver cancer.
- The high cholesterol occurs because the liver cancer cells are not able to turn off (inhibit) their production of cholesterol.
- There is no reliable or accurate screening blood test for liver cancer.
- The most widely used biochemical blood test is alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)
- AFP is a protein normally made by the immature liver cells in the fetus.

In adults, high blood levels (over 500 nanograms/milliliter) of AFP are seen in only three situations:
- Liver cancer.
- Germ cell tumors (cancer of the testes and ovaries).
- Metastatic cancer in the liver (originating in other organs).

There are a number of other liver cancer tumor markers like:
- Des-gamma-carboxyprothrombin (DCP),
- A variant of the gamma-glutamyltransferase enzymes,
- Variants of other enzymes (for example, alpha-L-fucosidase).

Imaging Studies
These studies provide information
- as to the size of the tumor.
- the number of tumors.
- whether the tumor has involved major blood vessels locally or spread outside of the liver.

Ultrasound Examination
- It is usually the first study ordered if liver cancer is suspected in a patient.
- The accuracy of an ultrasound depends very much on the technician and radiologist.
- Computerized axial tomography (CT scan) is a very common study used in the U.S.
- The ideal CT study is a multi-phase, spiral CT scan using oral and intravenous contrast material.

Pictures are taken in three phases:
- Without intravenous contrast.
- With intravenous contrast (enhanced imaging) that highlights the arterial system (arterial phase).
- When the contrast is in the venous phase.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
- It can provide very clear images of the body.
- Its advantage over CT is that MRI can provide sectional views of the body in different planes.

Others
- If there is uncertainty about the diagnosis, the presence of liver cancer may be confirmed with a biopsy.
- Tissue from the liver is removed through a needle or during an operation and checked under a microscope for the presence of cancer cells.
- Laproscopy is another method.

Staging
The following stages are used for adult primary liver cancer:
- Localized resectable
Cancer is found in one place in the liver and can be completely removed by surgery.
- Localized unresectable
Cancer is found only in one part of the liver, but the cancer cannot be totally removed.
- Advanced
Cancer has spread through much of the liver or to other parts of the body.
- Recurrent
Cancer has come back or recurred after it was treated. It may come back in the liver or in another part of the body.

What are different symptoms of liver cancer?

ashish — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 06:38:40 +0000

Liver cancer is also known as hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC.
- It is a cancer that originates in liver.
- Liver cancers are malignant tumors that grow on the surface or inside the liver.
- It is also known as primary liver cancer or hepatoma.
- The liver is made up of different cell types.
- They are cancer of, for example, bile ducts, blood vessels, and fat-storing cells.
- Liver cells (hepatocytes) make up 80% of the liver tissue.
- The majority of primary liver cancers (over 90%-95%) arise from liver cells.
- Liver cancer is often referred to cancer that has spread to the liver that has originated in other organs.
- This type of liver cancer is called metastatic liver disease (cancer) or secondary liver cancer.
- The term liver cancer actually can refer to either metastatic liver cancer or hepato cellular cancer.

Rarer forms of liver cancer include:
- Mesenchymal tissue
- Sarcoma
- Hepatoblastoma
- Cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancers)
- Angiosarcoma and hemangiosarcoma
- Lymphoma of liver

Signs and Symptoms of Liver Cancer
- Abdominal mass
- Abdominal pain
- Jaundice
- Nausea
- Liver dysfunction

What are liver cancer symptoms and signs?
- The initial symptoms are not known as these cancers are mostly recognized only at advanced stages.
- Abdominal pain is uncommon with liver cancer
- It usually signifies a very large tumor or widespread involvement of the liver.
- Unexplained weight loss.
- Unexplained fevers.
- The sudden appearance of ascites (abdominal fluid and swelling).
- Jaundice (yellow color of the skin)
- Muscle wasting without causative (precipitating) factors (for example, alcohol consumption).
- Block in the portal vein (a large vein that brings blood to the liver from the intestine and spleen).
- The blood will travel paths of less resistance, such as through esophageal veins which leads to increased pressure in these veins.
- Dilated (widened) veins called esophageal varices occur.
- The patient then is at risk for hemorrhage from the rupture of the varices into the gastrointestinal tract.
- Turbulent blood flow in the artery.
- The turbulence results in a distinct sound in the liver (hepatic bruit).
- Muscle wasting.
- Very swollen liver and massive formation of ascites.
- In some patients, as previously mentioned, the tumor can invade the portal vein and lead to the rupture of esophageal varices.

Symptoms of Cholangiocarcinoma
- Sweating
- Jaundice
- Abdominal pain
- Weight loss
- Hepatomegaly

Symptoms of Hepatocellular carcinoma
- Abdominal mass
- Abdominal pain
- Emesis
- Anemia
- Back pain
- Jaundice
- Itching
- Weight loss
- Fever

What are causes and scope of liver cancer?

ashish — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:17:54 +0000

The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions.
- The liver is necessary for survival.
- This organ plays a major role in metabolism.
- It lies below the diaphragm in the abdominal-pelvic region of the abdomen.
- It produces bile, an alkaline compound which aids in digestion.
- It does so via the emulsification of lipids.
- The liver’s highly specialized tissues regulate a wide variety of high-volume biochemical reactions.
- The reactions include the synthesis and breakdown of small and complex molecules that are necessary for normal vital functions.
- Medical terms related to the liver often start in hepato- or hepatic.
- This comes from the Greek word for liver, hēpar.

Functions of Liver
More than 500 vital functions have been identified with the liver. The functions include:
- Detoxification.
- Protein synthesis.
- Production of biochemicals that are necessary for digestion.
- Glycogen storage.
- Decomposition of red blood cells.
- Plasma protein synthesis.
- Hormone production.
- Production of bile for digestion.
- Production of certain proteins for blood plasma.
- Production of cholesterol and special proteins that help to carry fats through the body.
- Conversion of excess glucose into glycogen for storage.
- Regulation of blood levels of amino acids.
- These amino acids form the building blocks of proteins.
- Processing of hemoglobin – the liver stores iron.
- Conversion of poisonous ammonia to urea.
- Clearing the blood of drugs and other poisonous substances.
- Regulating blood clotting.
- Resisting infections by producing immune factors.
- Removing bacteria from the bloodstream.
- Liver breaks down harmful substances which are excreted into the bile or blood.
- Bile by-products enter the intestine and ultimately leave the body in the feces.

Scope and Causes of the Liver Cancer
- Liver cancer is the third most common cancer in the world.
- Liver cancer will kill almost all patients who have it.
- It is known to kill almost within a year.
- About three-quarters of the cases of liver cancer are found in Southeast Asia (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan).
- Liver cancer is also very common in sub-Saharan Africa (Mozambique and South Africa).
- Usually it is due to the prevalence of hepatitis B infection, which is the most common cause of this cancer worldwide.
- The reasons can also be due to rising obesity and diabetes rates.
- People who are prone to chronic hepatitis C which is another infection of the liver, causes liver cancer.
- l-carnitine deficiency is a risk factor for liver cancer
- Japan being member of International Cancer Genome Consortium is leading efforts to map liver cancer’s complete genome.

What are effects of liver failure on body?

ashish — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 08:41:52 +0000

The functions of liver include :
- Production of bile for digestion.
- Production of certain proteins for blood plasma.
- Production of cholesterol and special proteins that help to carry fats through the body.
- Conversion of excess glucose into glycogen for storage.
- Regulation of blood levels of amino acids.
- These amino acids form the building blocks of proteins.
- Processing of hemoglobin – the liver stores iron.
- Conversion of poisonous ammonia to urea.
- Clearing the blood of drugs and other poisonous substances.
- Regulating blood clotting.
- Resisting infections by producing immune factors.
- Removing bacteria from the bloodstream.
- Liver breaks down harmful substances which are excreted into the bile or blood.
- Bile by-products enter the intestine and ultimately leave the body in the feces.

How the Body is affected?
- Other organs are affected when the liver is not able to filter out the toxins as effectively.
- Person is affected to have a lot of fatigue due to these toxins.
- Liver disease can also cause the abdomen to protrude outward.
- This condition occurs because the liver can become inflamed and enlarged.
- A person may develop anemia or large bruises on their body upon liver effecting on the body.
- A person with liver disease may also notice that they have more body fluid retention, swelling, body aches and even excessive itching.

Liver disease can also cause a person to have:
- Yellow or white tongue
- Eczema
- Psoriasis
- Age spots
- Acne
- Headaches
- A weak immune system

Diseases that affect liver and body are:
- Hepatitis caused by inflammation of liver.
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a spectrum in disease associated with obesity.
- Cirrhosis is the formation of fibrous tissue in the liver from replacing dead liver cells.
- Haemochromatosis is a hereditary disease caused by the accumulation of iron in the body.
- Cancer of the liver are malignant tumors that grow on the surface or inside the liver and is often referred to cancer that has spread to the liver that has originated in other organs.
- Glycogen storage disease type II is caused due to the build-up of glycogen causes progressive muscle weakness (myopathy) throughout the body.
- Some pediatric liver diseases like biliary atresia, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, alagille syndrome, progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis.

What are diseases that can affect liver?

ashish — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 07:15:30 +0000

Liver disease is also called hepatic disease. This is in terms of group of single number of diseases affecting the liver.

Diseases that affect Liver

Hepatitis:
- Inflammation of the liver.
- It is caused mainly by various viruses.
- It is also caused by some poisons (e.g. alcohol).
- Autoimmunity (autoimmune hepatitis).
- Hereditary conditions.
- Diagnosis is done by checking levels of Alanine transaminase.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- A spectrum in disease.
- It is associated with obesity.
- It is characterized as an abundance of fat in the liver.
- This situation may lead to a hepatitis.
- This type of hepatitis is also known as steatohepatitis and/or cirrhosis.

Cirrhosis
- It is the formation of fibrous tissue in the liver from replacing dead liver cells.
- The death of the liver cells can be caused by viral hepatitis.
- This can be due to alcoholism or contact with other liver-toxic chemicals.
- Diagnosis is done by checking levels of Alanine transaminase and Asparatine transaminase (SGOT).

Haemochromatosis
- This is a hereditary disease.
- It causes the accumulation of iron in the body.
- It eventually leads to liver damage.

Cancer of the liver
- Liver cancer is also known as hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC.
- It is a cancer that originates in liver.
- Liver cancers are malignant tumors that grow on the surface or inside the liver.
- It is also known as primary liver cancer or hepatoma.
- The liver is made up of different cell types.
- They are cancer of, for example, bile ducts, blood vessels, and fat-storing cells.
- Liver cells (hepatocytes) make up 80% of the liver tissue.
- Liver cancer is often referred to cancer that has spread to the liver that has originated in other organs.
- This type of liver cancer is called metastatic liver disease (cancer) or secondary liver cancer.

Glycogen storage disease type II
- The build-up of glycogen causes progressive muscle weakness (myopathy) throughout the body
- It affects various body tissues, particularly in the heart, skeletal muscles, liver and nervous system.

Other diseases of Liver
- Wilson’s disease, a hereditary disease which causes the body to retain copper.
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis, an inflammatory disease of the bile duct, likely autoimmune in nature.
- Primary biliary cirrhosis, autoimmune disease of small bile ducts.
- Budd-Chiari syndrome, obstruction of the hepatic vein.
- Gilbert’s syndrome, a genetic disorder of bilirubin metabolism, found in about 5% of the population.

Pediatric liver diseases
- Biliary atresia
- Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency
- Alagille syndrome
- Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis

Liver diseases are caused by viruses like hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, cirrhosis, jaundice.

Give a general overview of liver?

ashish — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 08:38:59 +0000

The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions.
- The liver is necessary for survival.
- This organ plays a major role in metabolism.
- It lies below the diaphragm in the abdominal-pelvic region of the abdomen.
- It produces bile, an alkaline compound which aids in digestion.
- It does so via the emulsification of lipids.
- The liver’s highly specialized tissues regulate a wide variety of high-volume biochemical reactions.
- The reactions include the synthesis and breakdown of small and complex molecules that are necessary for normal vital functions.
- Medical terms related to the liver often start in hepato- or hepatic.
- This comes from the Greek word for liver, hēpar.

Functions of Liver
More than 500 vital functions have been identified with the liver. The functions include:
- Detoxification.
- Protein synthesis.
- Production of biochemicals that are necessary for digestion.
- Glycogen storage.
- Decomposition of red blood cells.
- Plasma protein synthesis.
- Hormone production.
- Production of bile for digestion.
- Production of certain proteins for blood plasma.
- Production of cholesterol and special proteins that help to carry fats through the body.
- Conversion of excess glucose into glycogen for storage.
- Regulation of blood levels of amino acids.
- These amino acids form the building blocks of proteins.
- Processing of hemoglobin – the liver stores iron.
- Conversion of poisonous ammonia to urea.
- Clearing the blood of drugs and other poisonous substances.
- Regulating blood clotting.
- Resisting infections by producing immune factors.
- Removing bacteria from the bloodstream.
- Liver breaks down harmful substances which are excreted into the bile or blood.
- Bile by-products enter the intestine and ultimately leave the body in the feces.

Liver Location
- The liver is located in the upper right-hand portion of abdominal cavity.
- This is beneath the diaphragm.
- And on top of her stomach, right kidney and intestines.
- Weight: The liver weighs about 2 pounds.

Regulation Process of the Liver
- The liver regulates most chemical levels in the blood.
- It excretes a product called bile.
- This helps to break down fats.
- It also prepares them for further digestion and absorption.

Lobes of the liver
- The liver consists of two main lobes.
- Both of these lobes are made up of thousands of lobules.
- These lobules are connected to small ducts.
- These connect with larger ducts to ultimately form the hepatic duct.

Blood flow and liver
- All of the blood leaving the stomach and intestines pass through the liver.
- The liver processes this blood.
- It breaks down the nutrients.
- The drugs present in the blood are broken into forms that are easier to use for the rest of the body.

How is non alcoholic fatty liver disease diagnosed?

ashish — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:18:28 +0000

Liver disease is also called hepatic disease. This is in terms of group of single number of diseases affecting the liver.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a liver disease.
- This is one cause of a fatty liver.
- This occurrs when fat is deposited (steatosis) in the liver.
- It is not due to excessive alcohol use.
- It is related to insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome.
- This is involved with symptoms such as weight loss, metformin and thiazolidinediones.
- Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the most extreme form of NAFLD.
- This is regarded as a major cause of cirrhosis of the liver of unknown cause.

Causes of Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
- Fatigue
- Malaise
- Dull right-upper-quadrant abdominal discomfort
- Mild jaundice
- Abnormal liver function tests
- Alcohol consumption of over 20 g/day
- Insulin resistance
- Metabolic syndrome
- Obesity
- Combined hyperlipidemia
- Diabetes mellitus (type II)
- High blood pressure

Secondary Causes
NAFLD can also be caused by some medications.
- Amiodarone
- Antiviral drugs (nucleoside analogues)
- Aspirin rarely as part of Reye’s syndrome in children
- Corticosteroids
- Methotrexate
- Tamoxifen
- Tetracycline

Diagnosis of Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
- Elevated liver enzymes
- A liver ultrasound showing steatosis.
- An ultrasound may also be used to exclude gallstone problems (cholelithiasis).
- Computed Tomography (CT) —a method of body imaging in which a thin X-ray beam rotates around the patient which provides a detailed view of the liver.
- A biopsy (tissue examination) of the liver is the only test widely accepted.
- FibroTest that estimates liver fibrosis.
- SteatoTest that estimates steatosis.
- Apoptosis has been shown to be the mechanism of hepatocyte destruction and caspase-cleaved cytokeratin 18 (M30-Apoptosense ELISA) in serum/plasma.

Relevant Blood Tests
- Erythrocyte sedimentation rate
- Glucose
- Albumin
- Renal function
- Coagulation related studies
- The INR (international normalized ratio)

Blood tests (serology) are usually used to rule out:
- Viral hepatitis (hepatitis A, B, C, EBV, CMV andherpes viruses),
- Rubella,
- Autoimmune related diseases
- Hypothyroidism

Diagnosis
- Abdominal Ultrasound
- AMA Test
- ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography)
- Liver Biopsy
- Liver Panel
- Manifestations of Liver Disease
- Needle Biopsy