Liver Flashcards
2 blood supplies to the liver
what’s the benefit?
Hepatic artery (bringing oxygenated blood) Hepatic portal vein (bringing everything from gut, still has a bit of O2 in it)
don’t get big infarcts like in other organs!
portal triad
- bile duct
- hepatic artery
- hepatic portal vein
2&3 will empty into sinusoids, gets to centre of lobule and drain into terminal hepatic venule –> hepatic vein –> vene cava –> systemic
Difference in cells in periphery of lobule vs. central?
oxygen concentrations
synthesis will occur centrally (eg. protein) ZONE 3
degradation/metabolism will occur on periphery (where conjugation enzymes will be) ZONE 1
Why do we get portal hypertension?
eg. due to alcohol
fibrosis/lose cells in Zone 3 will cause venule to get less blood, pressure required to get blood in through will increase = portal hypertension
Three main functions of liver
Synthesis (albumin, clotting factors, complement)
production (bile through conjugation of bilirubin)
breakdown (of any foreign substance eg. drug, insulin ammonia)
Role of Kupffer cells
sitting in the sinusoids acting like macrophages.
phagocytose old RBCs, bacteria and foreign materials from the blood or gut
what’s the bilirubin concentration to be classified as jaundice?
over 40umol/L
Why is jaundice associated with intense itch?
It’s not to do with bilirubin - it’s the accumulation of bile acids. Tells you about where the jaundice occurred (ie. at a point where the liver wasn’t able to properly excrete the bile acid ie. at the bile duct or distal to that. OBSTRUCTIVE).
Unconjugated vs conjugated jaundice
unconjugated: water insoluble
Conjugated: water soluble (can be excreted in urine so urine will be DARK)
3 classifications of jaundice
pre-hepatic: haemolysis (maybe sickle cell disease, exposure to a toxin, autoimmune disease, causing RBCs to break down) -> release of bilirubin from RBCs
but bili isn’t getting conjugated, normal urine (can’t solubilise it in kidney to throw it out)
Intrahepatic: liver disease destroys hepatocyte -> excess bilirubin in liver and bloodstream
Post-hepatic (obstructive) - obstruction of bile outflow –> dark urine and pale stools SMELLY (and itch)
BARNEY GUMBLE
Causes
Acute Liver Injury
Causes: viral infection, ALCOHOL, adverse drug reactions, biliary obstruction (gallstones)
Presentation: jaundice, malaise.
Raised serum bilirubin and transaminases.
Liver failure: decreased albumin, ascites, bruising, encephalopathy
Where does alcohol-induced hepatocyte injury usually occur?
zone 3
Where will autoimmune hepatitis injuries usually occur?
zone 1 (mostly cell mediated and antibody)
Steatosis leads to what
steatosis: fat build up which alters metabolism. Get big fat globule (with messed up metabolism) messes up cytoskeleton into Mallory’s hyaline.
can lead eventually to cirrhosis (liver becomes scarred and lumpy. fibrosis bridges from structures. Regeneration abnormal.
can lead to liver failure)
Describe alcohol hepatitis pathology
acute inflammation of bits of the liver (spotty necrosis)
Kupffer (macros) sat and fibroblast precursor sitting waiting to create fibrosis. little bits of fibrosis eventually merge (after many binges over time)
regeneration occurs, expanding cells but scar tissue resitricts the expansaion. continuous scar tissue creates CIRRHOSIS
Define cirrhosis
continuous scar tissue.
recurrent inflammation with fibrosis (collagen) and regeneration
What’s in alcohol that causes hepatocyte damage?
acetaldehyde binds to hepatocytes causing damage, inflammatory reaction, fibrosis
Complications of cirrhosis
Liver failure: can’t detoxify things! (hepatic encephalopathy (ammonia), build up of steroid hormones –> hyperoestrogenism (palmar erythema and gynaemastia)
Portal hypertension (increased hepaticvascular resistance, AV shunting –> oesophageal varices, haemorrhoids, caput medusea)
Hepatocellular carcinoma
KRUSTY
drug-induced liver injury
10% drug reactions involve liver
Hepatocellular damage from paracetamol dose
Injury to cholestatic cells (bile production/secretion) - methyl testosterone
PATTY AND SELMA
have ACUTE BILIARY OBSTRUCTION
usually due to gallstones
causes collicky pain and jaundice (waves as peristalsis is trying to get it out)
Complication of acute biliary obstruction
infection of the blocked CBD = cholangitis
why might we want to do an ultrasound rather than xray in someone with acute biliary obstruction?
as gallstones can be radiolucent (as mostly cholesterol)