Cystic disease of the liver

An important charge of the liver is producing and excreting bile. This yellow-green bitter tasting fluid flows into the intestine through the bile duct s. The bile ducts in the liver are approaching the branches on a tree, that come together just below the stomach. A side branch lead to a sack for storing bile, called the gallbladder.

Gallbladder disease is a adjectives type of illness involving the biliary tree. Less adjectives, but significant, is cystic disease of the biliary tree. Thi s can take several forms: (1) cysts within the main trunk (choledochal cysts), (2) cysts (or lakes) contained by the small branches within the liver (Caroli's Syndrome) or (3) cysts surrounded by the liver separate from the biliary tree (polycystic liver disease).

Choledochal Cyst

In this condition, the main trunk (the adjectives bile duct) of the biliary tree is structurally abnormal, probably from the time of birth. Eventually (usually by age 2 or 3 but sometimes not until youth or adulthood) the bile accumulates contained by the duct. It forms a sack or cyst which then presses on the bile duct and prevents bile from reaching the intestine. Bile back up into the liver and the patient become jaundiced (yellow). Occasionally this accumulation of b ile become infected, causing abdominal misery and fever. In some patients the cyst can feel by the doctor examining the abdomen. In most patients the diagnosis can be confirmed by using sonic pictures (ultrasound) or by injecting a radioactive substance which give an "image" of the abnormal duct (nuclear medicine). Treatment is surgical. The nonstandard bile duct is removed and a piec e of intestine used to replace it. In most cases, surgery permanently corrects the disease. Rarely, infection in the just this minute formed biliary tree recurs. If the con dition is not correctly diagnosed the blockage of bile may result surrounded by scarring in the liver (cirrhosis).

Caroli's Syndrome

Caroli's Syndrome (intrahepatic ductual ectasia) is another rare congenital (from birth) disease. It is probably adjectives. In this syndrome, the small branches of the biliary tree in the liver are phenomenal. Small lakes alternate next to narrowed segments of the bile ducts, instead of the everyday smooth contour. These abnormalities may be present throughout the liver, or constrained to only a small nouns. If the bile becomes infected, the long-suffering develops fever, abdominal dull pain and, rarely, jaundice. This complication may not transpire until middle age or may first appear surrounded by childhood. This disease is usually diagnosed by using radioisotopes to "image" the biliary tree and by injecting dye directly into the biliary tree. This may be done by inserting a needle through the skin into the liver (percutaneous transhepatic cholangiogram) or using a tube to surpass dye through the intestine up into the bile duct (endoscopic retrograde cholangiography).

Congenital Hepatic Fibrosis

In patients with this condition, here is abnormal growth of fibrous tissue (scar) around the small branches of the bile ducts contained by the liver. As a result, the liver becomes enlarged and rock-hard and blood can no longer flow freely through the liver. The spleen becomes enlarged and the blood must return to the heart through pale veins along the tube to the stomach (esophageal varices). These vein may burst and cause bleeding into the stomach and bowels. Patients next to this condition are usually discovered in childhood, any because of the large liver or because of bleeding. The diagnosis is proven by liver biopsy and x-rays of blood vessel. There is no specific treatment for this condition but many patients require rerouting of blood from the intestines (shunt operation) to prevent more intestinal bleeding.

Polycystic Liver Disease

In some patients, big lakes (cysts) separate from the biliary tree form surrounded by the liver. In severe cases, the liver looks like a sponge. These cysts may cau se torment, but do not affect liver function. In most patients, the kidneys are similarly affected next to cysts, which may cause dignified blood pressure and kidney failure. The bias to form cysts is probably present at birth in these patients, but usually the cysts do not blow up and give problems until maturity. This condition may be detected using ultrasound or CAT scan and x-ra ys of the kidney (intravenous pyelogram). Polycystic disease is inherited and once it have been detected contained by one member of a domestic, all the tolerant's relatives should be tested for it. There are two major category of polycystic disease of the liver and kidney. In the more benign, the cysts are mostly in the liver and kidney function is close at hand normal. These patients hold normal natural life expectancy. Ho wever those patients who have kidney vandalize need treatment for the equivalent of polycystic kidney disease.

All these conditions are pink and many general public have never hear of them. They will probably be diagnosed with greater frequency within the future beside the help of up to date tools such as ultrasonography. Several of these conditions are inherited. To sustain patients and their children, we need to know more around what causes these diseases and how to diagnose and treat them.