Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
When healthcare providers refer to liver disease, they’re usually referring to chronic conditions that do progressive damage to your liver over time. Viral infections, toxic poisoning and certain metabolic conditions are among the common causes of chronic liver disease.
Cirrhosis as a common endpoint of chronic liver disease is characterized by progressive fibrosis of the liver parenchyma with ongoing regeneration. Cirrhosis is most commonly the result of hepatitis B and C or chronic alcoholism; other causes are metabolic, biliary, and cryptogenic diseases.
The four stages of liver disease, begin with inflammation and progress all the way to liver failure, also called end-stage liver disease.
Knowing the typical features of the different diffuse and inflammatory liver diseases with CT and MRI techniques allows radiologists to play a key role in the diagnosis and management of diffuse liver diseases.
Chronic liver disease management includes directed counseling, laboratory testing, and ultrasound monitoring. Treatment goals are preventing cirrhosis, decompensation, and death.
Liver problems that can occur include fatty liver disease and cirrhosis. The liver and its cells, as seen through a microscope, change greatly when a liver becomes fatty or cirrhotic. Liver disease doesn't always cause symptoms that can be seen or felt.
More recent developments have led to methods for quantifying important liver metabolites, including lipids and iron, and liver fibrosis, the hallmark of chronic liver disease. Here, we review the MRI techniques and diagnostic features associated with acute and chronic liver disease.