Current controversies in cholangiocarcinoma.

Cholangiocarcinoma represents 10% of primary liver malignancies and accounts for less than 3% of all gastrointestinal malignant tumors, with an enormous geographical variation. This neoplasia can arise from the biliary tract epithelium or hepatic progenitor cells. Depending on the anatomic localization, it is classified into three subtypes: intrahepatic, perihilar and distal.

Portal hypertensive biliopathy: A single center experience and literature review.

Portal hypertensive biliopathy (PHB) is characterized by anatomical and functional abnormalities of the intrahepatic, extrahepatic and pancreatic ducts, in patients with portal hypertension associated to extrahepatic portal vein obstruction and less frequently to cirrhosis. These morphological changes, consisting in dilatation and stenosis of the biliary tree, are due to extensive venous collaterals occurring in an attempt to decompress the portal venous blockage. It is usually asymptomatic until it progresses to more advanced stages with cholestasis, jaundice, biliary sludge, gallstones, cholangitis and finally biliary cirrhosis.

Drug-induced liver injury: hepatotoxicity of quetiapine revisited.

Drug hepatotoxicity is the most common cause of fulminant hepatic failure in the USA. We describe a rare case of a patient who developed an acute liver injury after initiation of therapy with quetiapine, but after conservative management and a trial of steroids, has fully recovered. This is the second reported case of quetiapine-induced liver injury in the published literature.

Organ allocation: model for end-stage liver disease, Child-Turcotte-Pugh, Mayo risk score, or something else.

The discovery of a single test of liver function has been a goal of hepatologists for many years. The great complexity of the liver and its many diverse functions, however, has prevented such an accomplishment. An analogy can be made with the way one currently uses liver tests where several individual tests are combined into a profile.