Hepatobiliary pathology Flashcards
What are the 2 blood supplies to the liver?
Hepatic artery
Portal vein
What are the functions of the liver?
Protein synthesis
Metabolism of fat and carbohydrate
Detoxification of drugs and toxins
What is liver failure a complication of?
Acute or chronic liver injury
What are the causes of acute liver injury?
Hepatitis- viruses, alcohol, drugs
Bile duct obstruction
What are the causes of chronic liver injury?
Cirrhosis
What does viral hepatitis do?
Targets liver cells and causes inflammation
Causes liver cell damage and death of individual liver cells
What are the outcomes of acute inflammation in the liver?
Resolution
Liver failure
Progression to chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis
What is alcoholic liver disease?
Response of the liver to excess alcohol
What is the progression of alcoholic liver disease?
Acute inflammation –> liver cell death –> liver failure–> progression to cirrhosis
What is jaundice?
Increased circulating bilirubin causing the skin and eyes to take on a yellow tone
Caused by altered metabolism of bilirubin
What are the 3 parts of bilirubin metabolism?
Prehepatic
Hepatic
Post hepatic
What happens in the pre hepatic stage of bilirubin metabolism?
Breakdown of haemoglobin in spleen to form haemorrhage and globin
Globin converted to bilirubin
Release of bilirubin into curculation
What happens in the hepatic stage of bilirubin metabolism?
Uptake of bilirubin by hepatocytes
Conjugation of bilirubin in hepatocytes
Excretion of conjugated bilirubin into biliary system
What happens in the post hepatic stage of bilirubin metabolism?
Transport of conjugated bilirubin in biliary system
Breakdown on bilirubin conjugate in intestine
Reabsorption of bilirubin
What is the enterohepatic circulation?
Circulation of substances, such as bilirubin, from the liver to the bile, entering the small intestine, absorption into he enterocyte and transport back to the liver