Liver Pathology

Question 1

What property of the liver does the albumin and PT (INR) assess?

Answer 1

Liver synthetic function

Question 2

What property of the liver does the ALT and AST assess?

Answer 2

Hepatocellular damage

Question 3

What property of the liver does the ALP and GGT assess?

Answer 3

Biliary tree damage

Question 4

What property of the liver does the bilirubin assess?

Answer 4

Hepatic bile secretion

Question 5

How should the albumin level be interpreted and why?

Answer 5

Low albumin is an indicator of CHRONIC liver disease only as albumin has a half-life of 20 days and therefore declines slowly

Question 6

List 3 pre-hepatic causes of portal HTN

Answer 6

Portal vein thrombosis, stenosis, compression

Question 7

List 4 intra-hepatic causes of portal HTN

Answer 7

Cirrhosis
Schistosomiasis
Severe steatosis
Sarcoidosis

Question 8

List 3 post-hepatic causes of portal HTN

Answer 8

Hepatic vein obstruction (including Budd-Chiari syndrome)
Severe RHF
Constrictive pericarditis