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Exploring beyond cirrhosis
Author(s) -
Pinzani Massimo
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1002/hep.25775
Subject(s) - cirrhosis , medicine , hepatology , hepatocellular carcinoma , malignancy , natural history , etiology , stage (stratigraphy) , gastroenterology , chronic liver disease , disease , liver disease , portal hypertension , intensive care medicine , paleontology , biology
“Cirrhosis” is a morphologic term that has been used for almost 200 years to denote the end stage of a variety of chronic liver diseases. The term implies a condition with adverse prognosis due to the well‐known complications of portal hypertension, hepatocellular carcinoma, and liver failure. However, recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic liver diseases have changed the natural history of cirrhosis significantly. This consensus, document by the International Liver Pathology Study Group, challenges the usefulness of the word cirrhosis in modern medicine and suggests that this is an appropriate time to consider discontinuing the use of this term. The role of pathologists should evolve to the diagnosis of advanced stage of chronic liver disease, with emphasis on etiology, grade of activity, features suggestive of progression or regression, presence of other diseases, and risk factors for malignancy, within the perspective of an integrated clinicopathologic assessment. (H EPATOLOGY 2012;)