Liver Disease

Edited by two internationally known and respected hepatologists, this new resource examines the important concepts, principles, and facts needed for the daily care and management of liver disease patients. A group of international authors provides a global perspective on this rapidly changing field.

Defines normal liver function; examines the evaluation of patients with liver disease; explores various diseases of the liver and biliary tree; discusses specialised evaluation; and presents specific treatment options.

Highly illustrated with colour figures throughout, reinforcing the concepts presented.

Provides specific, suggested readings rather than exhaustive lists of references.

Hepatology is one of the areas of clinical medicine in which knowledge has increased considerably. The application of the findings of molecular biology to clinical practice and continual technical improvements in diagnostic imaging have clarified the causes of several diseases (most notably, genetic disorders such as hereditary hemochromatosis and viral hepatitis) and have led to major changes in diagnosis and treatment. Furthermore, the widespread use of laboratory studies such as liver-function tests and tests for markers of viral infection has allowed the identification of asymptomatic persons with possible liver disease. All these circumstances have led to a demand for updated information for physicians who do not specialize in the management of liver diseases. Liver Disease: Diagnosis and Management is aimed at this audience.

The book provides a solid review of current practices in the diagnosis and management of liver diseases. It covers all the conventional topics in hepatology and includes chapters on hepatic imaging, transplantation, surgery, and interventional endoscopy. The authors, who are international experts, not only critically review the evidence but also present their personal experience.

The book can be read from beginning to end, or readers can consult individual chapters for information on particular syndromes, diseases, or complications. The color figures are of high quality, and the text has been well edited. All the chapters contain numerous tables and diagrams, which supplement the text. The step-by-step algorithms for arriving at decisions about diagnosis and treatment are clear and cover most of the controversial situations that clinicians face. In fact, the abundance of tables, figures, and algorithms is the distinctive characteristic of this book. As a result, Liver Disease: Diagnosis and Management is highly instructive, but the authors have not tried to compete with the major textbooks on hepatology, which offer much more detailed information. All the chapters in this book end with a list of suggested readings, but these sources are not referenced in the text.

This book will be useful to advanced students with a special interest in hepatology, residents in internal medicine, and practitioners seeking easy and direct access to clinically useful information about liver diseases. Gastroenterologists and hepatologists may think they already know the contents of the book; this may be true for some chapters, but the clear style of the text and the self-explanatory diagrams will show them that even experts can easily refresh their knowledge.

Jordi Bruix, M.D.