Hepatocytes are the characteristic cells of the liver, to the point that they constitute 80% of the liver volume and 60% of all the cells of the organ. In addition to composing the main mass of the liver, hepatocytes also represent the most active and functional part of the organ, as evidenced by their histological characteristics
Category liver health
Existing in an acute form and in a chronic form and characterized by an alteration of the mental state, hepatic encephalopathy is a brain disease that occurs in the presence of liver failure . The term liver failure indicates a serious morbid condition, which derives from a liver that is irremediably damaged and incapable of fulfilling several of its functions, such as protein synthesis or the elimination of infectious agents and toxins from the blood
Encephalopathies consist of a group of diseases characterized by a structural and functional alteration of the brain. Congenital or acquired, an encephalopathy can last a lifetime ( permanent encephalopathy ) or may have a more or less important margin of healing ( temporary encephalopathy ). The various types of encephalopathy differ from each other due to the triggering causes - to which they usually owe their names - for the symptoms, for the complications, for the treatment and for the prognosis
Existing in an acute form and in a chronic form and characterized by an alteration of the mental state, hepatic encephalopathy is a brain disease that occurs in the presence of liver failure . The term liver failure indicates a serious morbid condition, which derives from a liver that is irremediably damaged and incapable of fulfilling several of its functions, such as protein synthesis or the elimination of infectious agents and toxins from the blood
Fatty liver steatosis is a para-physiological or pathological condition (depending on the severity) that predisposes, in the long term, to the onset of cirrhosis and therefore of liver failure; sometimes, a disease of tumor origin may occur. Fatty liver steatosis is due to an excess of food and / or alcohol energy compared to the energy expended by the body (alimentary and / or alcoholic steatosis)
People with severe liver failure (usually due to cirrhosis ) are ideal candidates for liver transplantation . Liver transplantation, or hepatic transplantation , is that delicate surgical operation by which a liver is replaced hopelessly damaged with another healthy one , coming from a compatible donor
Gallstones (lithiasis or calculosis) are solid aggregations (almost always cholesterol) that form in the gall bladder. Also called gallbladder, the gallbladder is the organ necessary for the storage of bile (digestive fluid secreted by the liver). Bile is composed of various chemical elements and has a digestive function on dietary fats
The liver is a very important glandular organ, which is entrusted with numerous body functions. Among the various, it is responsible for the metabolism of nutrients (amino acids, glucides, lipids), the storage of vitamins and the transformation of all pharmacologically active molecules (drugs, caffeine, alcohol, etc
cholangiography If the ultrasound examination is positive, no further investigations are required to confirm the presence of gallbladder stones. If, on the other hand, the ultrasound is negative, further investigations may be carried out: Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiography (ERCP): allows radiological evidence of the biliary and pancreatic tract health (common bile duct, gallbladder, common hepatic duct, intrahepatic ducts and pancreatic ductal system see: gallbladder anatomy)
Biliary colic Acute cholecystitis (biliary colic) is the most frequent complication of lithiasis (presence of stones in the gallbladder and / or biliary tract). When moving from their home of origin, these solid agglomerates can in fact go to obstruct the normal flow of bile. In particular a calculation of large dimensions or more small calculi can wedge in the cystic duct and obstruct it
Generality Gallbladder stones (gallbladder) are one of the most common biliary tract diseases. Fortunately these pebbles often do not give problems to the patient and only in rare cases are responsible for a specific symptomatology. When this happens, however, violent pains arise, comparable, according to some, to those of childbirth