Contents Dedication Acknowledgmentsx About the Editor Contributing Authors Preface SECTION I: VIRAL HEPATITIS C Question 1: What Is the Likelihood That My Patient With Chronic Hepatitis C Will Develop Cirrhosis, Heaptocellular Carcinoma, and/or Hepatic Decompensation? Seela Ramesh, MD and Mitchell L. Shiffman, MD Question 2: How Should a Patient Who Tests Positive for Chronic Hepatitis C but Has Persistently Normal Serum Liver Amino-Transaminases Be Evaluated? Ramesh Ashwath, MD and Mitchell L. Shiffman, MD Question 3: Do All Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Require a Liver Biopsy? Ramesh Ashwath, MD and Mitchell L. Shiffman, MD Question 4. How Often Should I Measure HCV RNA While Treating a Patient With Peginterferon and Ribavirin? Mitchell L. Shiffman, MD Question 5: When A Patient Receiving Peginterferon and Ribavirin Therapy Develops Anemia Should I Prescribe Epoetin Alfa or Reduce the Dose of the Ribavirin? Mitchell L. Shiffman, MD Question 6: Is There Anything I Can Do to Improve the Chance That an African American With Chronic Hepatitis C Will Respond to Peginterferon and Ribavirin? Mitchell L. Shiffman, MD Question 7: Is It Safe to Treat Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C and Cirrhosis With Peginterferon and Ribavirin? Mitchell L. Shiffman, MD Question 8: How Often Should I Follow a Patient Who Had Chronic Hepatitis C After He Achieved a Sustained Virologic Response? Mitchell L. Shiffman, MD SECTION II: Viral Hepatitis B Question 9: Which Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B Require a Liver Biopsy? Wei Hou, MD and Mitchell L. Shiffman, MD Question 10: How Do I Decide Which Medication to Utilize in a Patient With Hepatitis B Virus? Mitchell L. Shiffman, MD Question 11: Can I Ever Stop Treatment in a Patient With Chronic Hepatitis B Receiving an Oral Antiviral Agent? Wei Hou, MD and Mitchell L. Shiffman, MD Question 12: How Do I Know When a Patient Receiving an Oral Antiviral Agent Has Developed Resistence and What Do I When This Happens? Mitchell L. Shiffman, MD Question 13: How Do I Treat a Patient Who Is Coinfected With Chronic Hepatitis B and C Viruses? Mitchell L. Shiffman, MD SECTION III: LIVER DISEASE IN PATIENTS WITH HIV INFECTION Question 14: How Does Having HIV Affect the Likelihood That My Patient With Chronic HCV Will Develop Cirrhosis? Kevin M. Comar, MD and Richard K. Sterling, MD, FACP, FACG Question 15: Which Patients With Chronic HCV and HIV Coinfection Should Be Treated With Peginterferon and Ribavirin? Kevin M. Comar, MD and Richard K. Sterling, MD, FACP, FACG Question 16: Is There a Simple Way to Treat a Patient Who Is Coinfected With Hepatitis B Virus and HIV? Richard K. Sterling, MD, FACP, FACG Question 17: What Things Could Cause My Patient With HIV to Develop Jaundice? Richard K. Sterling, MD, FACP, FACG Question: 18 Should I Stop HIV Medications in a Patient Who Has Developed an Elevation In Serum Liver Transaminases? Richard K. Sterling, MD, FACP, FACG SECTION IV: GENETIC DISORDERS THAT CAUSE CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE Question 19: What Is the Best Screening Test for Genetic Hemochromatosis? Peter Dienhart, MD; Jayanta Choudhury, MD; and Anastasios A. Mihas, MD, DMSc, FACT, FACG Question 20: How Frequently Should I Have a Patient With Genetic Hemochromatosis Undergo Phlebotomy? Peter Dienhart, MD; Jayanta Choudhury, MD; and Anastasios A. Mihas, MD, FACT, FACG Question 21: What Is the Best Screening Test for Wilsonrsquo;s Disease? Opang Cheung, MD and Anastasios A. Mihas, MD, DMSc, FACS, FACG Question 22: What Should I Tell My Patient Who Is a Carrier for Alpha-1- Antitrypsin Deficiency? Anastasios A. Mihas, MD, DMSc, FACS, FACG Question 23: Do All Patients With Autoimmune Hepatitis Require Immune Suppressive Medications? R. Todd Stravitz, MD Question 24: My Patient With and Autoimmune Hepatitis Cannot Take Corticosteroids. Are There Any Other Medications I Could Use? R. Todd Stravitz, MD Question 25: Do I Need to Perform a Live
Industry Reviews
"It is well written and easy to read. The innovative format that the book applies in which each chapter is entitled by a relevant question, makes it very friendly to the reader and increases its potential to be a quick reference book or companion book for the clinical hepatologist. It is up-to-date, and the use of simple diagrams and tables increase the value of this book. It is a must read for the gastroenterology/hepatology fellow, for the junior Hepatology attending and even for senior hepatologists who would like a quick review of current literature. As the title indicated, it answers typical curbside questions, that often require an extensive search of the literature and deep insight into the hepatology field."
- Mayra J. Sanchez, MD, Gastroenterology and Hepatology Fellow, Section of Digestive Diseases, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology
"Each question is answered efficiently with appropriate charts and figures. The bridge between medical literature and actual medical practice is a unique aspect to this text. The authors do a great job of separating evidence-based guidelines from expert opinion or personal practice. The overall quality of this text was excellent. Curbside Consultation of the Liver will be a welcome companion for hepatology textbooks and practice guidelines. Physicians, from the resident to the hepatologist, presented with these clinical questions will find this text to be a quick review and adjunct in clinical practice."
- Geoffrey Fillmore, DO & Mark Jeffries, DO, Scott and White Hospital, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Practical Gastroenterology
"The questions are common and practical; as such the book does an admirable job of meeting the objectives. The chapters are written by the well regarded hepatology faculty from Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center as well as gastroenterology fellows from this institution. They impact a solid and practical command of the field and are credible authorities. This is a very useful practical approach to commonly encountered hepatology management questions. The format is enjoyable and the information easy to comprehend. It represents a welcome change from the usual staid textbook fare."
- Willem JS de Villiers, MD, PhD, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Doody Enterprises, Inc.
