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To learn more about the functions and anatomy of the liver, click here.

There are several types of hepatitis that require clinical care by a physician or other healthcare professional. Click here to learn more.

Normally, blood from the intestines and spleen is carried to the liver through the portal vein. Portal hypertension occurs when the normal flow of blood through the portal vein slows, which increases the pressure inside it.

This procedure is performed using only a local anesthetic and a sedative. A long needle is inserted by way of the jugular vein in the neck, advanced into a hepatic vein and then into a large branch of the portal vein in the liver. Using an inflatable balloon-tipped catheter tube, the section between the portal vein branch and the hepatic vein is widened and then kept open (stented) with a cylindrical wire-mesh stent. The major advantages of TIPS are that it dispenses with the need for a general anesthetic and a major surgical procedure, both of which are often poorly tolerated by patients with cirrhosis. The disadvantage of TIPS is that it tends to thrombose or clot off more than operative shunts.

Operations devised to preserve the flow of blood through the portal vein to the liver while decompressing varices in the stomach and esophagus by means of surrounding veins. The disadvantage of operative shunts is a higher mortality or risk of dying, but operative shunts stay open more often that TIPS.

A liver biopsy is a procedure in which a small needle is inserted into the liver to collect a tissue sample. The tissue is then analyzed in a laboratory to help doctors diagnose a variety of disorders and diseases in the liver. A liver biopsy is most often performed to help identify the cause of jaundice, liver enzymes, an abnormality or unexplained enlargement.

Paracentesis is a procedure to remove fluid that has accumulated in the abdominal cavity (peritoneal fluid), a condition called ascites. Ascites may be caused by infection, inflammation, abdominal injury, or other conditions, such as cirrhosis or cancer. The fluid is removed using a needle inserted through the abdominal wall and sent to a lab for analysis to determine the cause of the fluid buildup. Paracentesis also may be done to drain the fluid as a comfort measure in people with cancer or chronic cirrhosis.

Liver resection is the surgical removal of part of the liver. This operation is for liver cancer and some benign masses, and for certain cases of metastatic cancer. More than half of your liver can be removed as long as the rest is healthy. During a liver resection, the part of your liver that contains cancer is removed, along with some healthy liver tissue on either side. Frequently your gallbladder, which is attached to the liver, is also taken out.

Radiofrequency ablation can be performed during an open operation through a laparoscope (using ultrasound guidance) or percutaneously (with CT-scan guidance).