What is liver portal fibrosis?

Liver fibrosis is the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins including collagen that occurs in most types of chronic liver diseases. Advanced liver fibrosis results in cirrhosis, liver failure, and portal hypertension and often requires liver transplantation.

What is portal fibrosis?

Non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis is a syndrome of obscure etiology, characterized by ‘obliterative portovenopathy’ leading to PHT, massive splenomegaly and well-tolerated episodes of variceal bleeding in young adults from low socioeconomic backgrounds, having near normal hepatic functions.

Does liver fibrosis always lead to cirrhosis?

As healthy liver tissue is lost, the liver also loses its ability to function. If untreated, liver fibrosis may progress to cirrhosis of the liver, liver failure, and liver cancer.

Can fibrosis of the liver be cured?

There is no specific treatment of liver fibrosis. Since it is a symptom of another liver problem, the most effective way to treat it is to address the underlying condition. Removing the cause of the liver damage will stop the fibrosis and allow the liver to heal. In the early stages, the damage is usually reversible.

Can fibrosis of the liver be reversed?

Successfully treating the cause of early to moderate liver fibrosis may reverse most, if not all, of the damage that the fibrosis has caused. Nearly every chronic liver condition eventually results in fibrosis, as each condition causes lasting inflammation in the liver.

When to have liver biopsy for advanced fibrosis?

Advanced liver fibrosis is an important predictor of liver disease progression and mortality, and current guidelines recommend screening for complications of cirrhosis once patients develop F3 fibrosis. Our study compared liver disease progression and survival in patients with stage 3 (F3) and stage 4 (F4) fibrosis on liver biopsy.

Can a liver biopsy show sinusoidal fibrosis?

Few reports of hepatic histology in these patients exist, and sinusoidal fibrosis has been described. We aimed to characterize fibrosis at liver biopsy procedure in patients with previous Fontan surgery and to identify patient variables associated with the degree of fibrosis.

How many patients have portal fibrosis After Fontan surgery?

Four patients underwent serial biopsy procedures; portal fibrosis was progressed in 3 patients, and sinusoidal fibrosis was progressed in 3 patients. After Fontan surgery, portal and sinusoidal fibrosis are common at liver biopsy and can progress over time. Lower platelet count may represent a marker of portal-based disease in these patients.

How many portal tracts are needed for a liver biopsy?

In either case, the fragmentation may interfere with visualization of key histologic features. Lastly, many studies have tried to determine the minimum number of portal tracts needed to consider a liver biopsy adequate; however, the results are conflicting and range from 6 – 11 portal tracts.