SP4: Liver Diseases Flashcards
What are the right and left nodes of the liver separated by?
Falciform ligament
How many segments make up the liver?
8 segments
What does the hepatic artery bring to the liver?
Oxygenated blood
What does the hepatic portal vein bring to the liver?
Nutrients
How does the gallbladder connect to the common hepatic duct?
Via the cystic duct
What cell is liver tissue made up of?
Hepatocytes
What are sheets of hepatocytes separated by?
Sinusoids
What are the 3 main functions of the liver?
- Metabolic function
- Synthesis function
- Storage function
What are the 4 main symptoms of liver disease?
- Jaundice
- Oedema
- Ascites
- Cerebral dysfunction
What is jaundice?
Raised serum bilirubin, with bilirubin deposition in tissues
What are the 2 types of jaundice?
- Unconjugated
- Conjugated
Explain prehepatic jaundice? (3)
- Excess bilirubin production
- Internal bleeding
- Ineffective erythropoiesis
Explain intrahepatic jaundice? (3)
- Impaired conjugation
- Impaired excretion of bilirubin
- Reduction in bilirubin uptake
What can cause post hepatic jaundice?
Extrahepatic biliary obstruction
ie Gallstones, cancer etc
What are some hepatic causes of oedema? (2)
- Portal hypertension
- Hypoalbuminaemia
What are some hepatic causes of Ascites? (2)
- Portal hypertension
- Hypoalbuminaemia
What is Ascites?
Ascites is the abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdomen
How does liver disease cause cerebral dysfunction?
When impaired, the liver produces more ammonia. Ammonia disrupts neurotransmission.
Define hepatitis
Inflammation of liver following injury
What are some causes of hepatitis? (4)
- Viral
- Alcohol
- Drugs/toxins
- Autoimmune
What are some symptoms of acute hepatitis? (5)
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Dark urine
- Jaundice
What can cause Chronic hepatitis? (4)
- Hep B or B+D
- Hep C
- Autoimmune Hep
- Drug-induced Hep
What can become inflamed during chronic hepatitis? (3)
- Lymphocytes
- Portal vein
- Lobular structure
What is liver cirrhosis?
Irreversible end stage liver disease
What are some causes of liver cirrhosis? (5)
- Alcohol
- Viral Hepatitis
- Autoimmune Hep
- Drugs
- Venous outflow obstruction
What could result from hepatic failure? (6)
- Jaundice
- Hypoalbuminaemia
- Coagulopathy
- DIC (Clotting around body)
- Raised serum urea
- Hepatorenal syndrome
Explain the liver changes due to alcoholic steatosis (2)
- Fatty liver
- Fibrosis
Explain the liver changes due to alcoholic hepatitis (5)
- Fatty liver
- Fibrosis
- Hepatocyte necrosis
- Inflammation
- Iron deposition
Name a benign primary liver tumour
Liver cell adenoma
Give examples of malignant primary liver tumours (4)
- Hepatocellular carcinoma
- Cholangiocarcinoma
- Angiosarcoma
- Hepatoblastoma
What are some clinical features of Hepatocellular carcinoma (3)
- Abdominal pain
- Weight loss
- Hepatomegaly
Hepatocellular carcinoma causes a rise in which protein in the blood?
Raised serum α-feto protein
