Dr. Pathik Parikh Hepatologist and Liver Transplant Physician

Liver Transplant after cirrhosis – When is the right time? Cirrhosis is end stage damage to liver. It means from the soft smooth liver like a sponge, it has become hard and irregular like a bark of a tree. Once an individual develops cirrhosis of liver, the process is irreversible. The disease progresses gradually over a period. Initially if we find the cause of cirrhosis, we can treat and stabilize the liver for a prolonged period. Eventually however, different complications set in. Initially these complications are manageable with medications and dietary restrictions. However, as the disease worsens, complications persist or recur and that is when doctors’advice you to undergo liver transplant. Most common causes of cirrhosis in adults in India 1.  Alcohol 2. Fatty Liver 3. Hepatitis B 4. Hepatitis C 5. Drug Induced Liver Injury 6. Autoimmune Hepatitis 7. Wilson’s Disease The treating#Hepatologist will look for these causes once you are diagnosed with cirrhosis. For Alcohol related c

  Interesting Case – Drug Induced Liver Failure Successful Management of Anti Tuberculosis Therapy induced liver failure by Liver Team 50 year old female during routine follow up was diagnosed to have mild pericardial effusion. She was started empirically on 4 drugs anti tuberculosis therapy (ATT). She tolerated the therapy well and on completion of intensive phase her pericardial effusion disappeared. She was maintained on isoniazid, rifampicin and ethambutol therapy. 4 months after starting ATT, she noticed jaundice and consulted her physician who stopped ATT and started her on Ursodeoxycholic acid. However, her jaundice worsened and that is when she presented to Zydus Hospitals. At the first visit she had full blown liver failure. Her reports showed a bilirubin of 14 mg/dl, AST 157 IU/ml, ALT 90 IU/ml, Albumin 2.9 mg/dl and a International Normalized Ratio (PT-INR) of 7.1. Her ultrasound showed mild ascites and hypo echoic liver. She had over encephalopathy with flaps on examination