Primary sclerosing cholangitis: review of recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of disease

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic progressive cholestatic liver disease with unknown etiology. In recent years, there is steady increase in the incidence of PSC. However, this disease is poorly known to practitioners still. Within last 10 years, leading hepatological associations have developed or updated the current recommendations on PSC. That allowed to standardize approaches to diagnosis and treatment of the disease. However, there are still more questions than answers in the understanding of PSC, and it remains a scientific and clinical problem. Primary diagnosis and treatment of the disease are the sharpest issues. The purpose of this review was to summarize current and advanced concepts in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. We analyzed recommendations of the leading gastroenterological (hepatological) associations on PSC. As a result, we have received the most complete comprehension on the features of diagnosis and treatment modalities for PSC at the present stage of the development of medicine. Currently, none of the medicinal products are proved to be effective on patient's survival rate, and liver transplantation remains the only treatment that improves prognosis of the patients with PSC. At the same time, there are many observations on effectiveness of ursodeoxycholic acid in PSC, which explains its wide use in this group of patients. We also presented our own experience in diagnosing and treating of a patient with PSC.