Medical Terminology

📘 Chapter 8: Liver and Biliary Physiology

The liver is the body’s central metabolic organ, performing more than 500 essential functions. It regulates carbohydrate, protein, and lipid metabolism, synthesizes plasma proteins and clotting factors, detoxifies endogenous and exogenous substances, stores vitamins and minerals, and produces bile for digestion and absorption of dietary fats.

Understanding liver and biliary physiology is fundamental for interpreting diseases such as jaundice, hepatitis, cirrhosis, cholestasis, gallstones, and liver failure.

“Strong clinical practice begins with a solid foundation in physiology.”

Amyand's hernia

Two normal, identical chest radiographs. The right radiograph shows the anterior parts of ribs 1 to 6 marked in yellow. The left and right hemidiaphragm are marked in orange. Note how the diaphragm has a normal domed shape and not flattened.

BIG K+ DROP

✔️B -agonist, Bicarbonate, Insulin, Glucose, ✔️Gluconate calcium
✔️Kayexalate®
✔️Diuretics, Dialysis

Differential diagnosis of elevated serum aminotransferases

🌠 ‌🇦‌‌🇧‌‌🇨‌‌🇩‌‌🇪‌‌🇫‌‌🇬‌‌🇭‌‌🇮‌

🪶 𝗔utoimmune hepatitis, 𝗔drenal insufficiency, 𝗔norexia nervosa
🪶 Hepatitis 𝗕
🪶 Hepatitis 𝗖, 𝗖eliac disease
🪶 𝗗rugs or toxins
🪶 𝗘thanol
🪶 𝗙atty liver
🪶 𝗚enetic disorders (Wilson disease, Hemochromatosis, Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency)
🪶 𝗛emodynamic disorders (CHF and MI)
🪶 𝗜nfiltration of the liver by malignancy, 𝗜njury to muscle (strenuous exercise, myopathy)