Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0018801 (heart failure)
 72,216 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Benign liver tumors are relatively uncommon and, even when large enough to be symptomatic, they usually remain undiagnosed prior to exploratory laparotomy. Hemangiomas constitute the majority of benign hepatic neoplasms and are 9 times as frequent in females as in males. Most are asymptomatic but abdominal swelling, a mass, or symptoms due to compression of adjacent organs may occur and abdominal hemorrhage is reported in 4.5% of patients. Hepatic hemangioma may produce a large arteriovenous communication serious enough to cause heart failure. Recently an increased frequency of liver tumors, mostly adenomas, has been noted in women taking oral contraceptives (OCs); the cause has been attributed to estrogens. The exact incidence is unknown but believed to be low. It is most common in women in their late 20s who have been on OCs for 7 years or more. The tumor occasionally completely regresses on withdrawal of the OCs. The tumor may be discovered incidentally at laparotomy or may manifest inself by pain, a palpable mass, or catastrophic hemoperitoneum. Hepatic adenoma is usually a solitary lesion and infrequently degenerates into malignancy. Differential diagnosis includes chronic gall bladder disease and peptic ulcer. Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is apparently much less frequently related to OC use and is less likely to bleed seriously than adenoma. Hepatic chemistry is usually normal in adenoma and FNH, but slight increases in serum bilirubin, serum alkaline phosphatase, and serum transaminase may occur. Primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma or hepatoma) is mostly a disease of males and in the US and Western Europe seldom develops before age 40. Fibrolamellar carcinoma, which characteristically develops in adolescents and young adults, occurs with equal sex incidence. Doubt has been expressed about its relationship to OCs. In the US about 75% of primary hepatocellular carcinomas are associated with cirrhosis, and about 5% of cirrhosis cases develop primary liver cancer. Clinical manifestations of hepatoma have been divided into 5 groups: frank cancer (62.7%), acute abdominal cancer (8%), febrile cancer (8%), occult cancer (16%), and metastatic cancer (5%). Detection of large amounts of alpha fetoprotein has proven useful in diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma, but values may be negative in OC users. It has been estimated that 1/3 to 1/2 of all malignant tumors eventually metastasize to the liver.
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PMID:Hepatic neoplasia: selected clinical aspects. 619 95

The use of helical CT, infusing pump and non-ionic contrast media has enabled the evaluation of different hepatic circulatory phases during contrast injection. Starting the acquisition of scans 20 to 30 seconds after the injection at a rate of 3 to 4 ml/sec the arterial enhancing of the liver is depicted. THROMBOSIS OR COMPRESSION OF THE PORTAL VEIN: Hypervascular triangle-shaped was with peripheral base can be seen, secondary to the increased arterial flow to compensate for the diminished portal flow. ARTERIOPORTAL SHUNTS: This condition can be caused by tumors such hepatocellular adenocarcinomas and hemangiomas, trauma, interventional procedures, cirrhosis, AVMs and surgery. INFLAMMATORY LESIONS: Hypervascular areas can be seen during the arterial phase in abscesses or cholecystitis, returning to their normal condition in the arterial phase. ANATOMIC VARIANTS: Third veins coming from the periphery (capsular veins, accessory cystic vein and an aberrant gastric vein) supply enhanced blood earlier than the portal circulation. OTHER CAUSES: In liver cirrhosis diffuse hyperattenuated areas can be seen during the arterial circulation. In right-sided heart failure, pericardial disease and Budd-Chiari Syndrome, "mosaic areas" can also be noted. In other patients these perfusion disorders were considered unknown. TUMORS: The well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma is a lesion with a predominant arterial blood supply, thus appearing in general hyperdense in this phase. Hemangiomas may appear as highly hyperdense lesions in the arterial phase and can be misinterpreted as HCC if smaller than 2 cm. (30% of cases). Focal nodular hyperplasia is a benign lesion (vascular malformation associated with focal nodules of hepatocellular hyperplasia) with increased arterial blood supply. Hepatic adenomas show an important hypervascularity during the arterial phase and, if large, they may present a small central scar and or capsule. Low or high-grade dysplastic nodules can sometimes be seen as hypervascular areas during the arterial phase. Although most metastasis are depicted as hypodense lesions sometimes they can show arterial hypervascularity such as carcinoid and pancreatic islet cell metastasis.
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PMID:[Liver hyperdensity during arterial phase on CT exams]. 1147 23

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is an autosomal dominant vascular disorder that can involve the liver diffusely in the form of vascular malformations ranging from small telangiectases to discrete arteriovenous malformations. Anatomically, three different patterns of abnormal vascular communications can occur in liver: portal vein to hepatic vein (portovenous), hepatic artery to hepatic vein (arteriovenous) and hepatic artery to portal vein (arterioportal), with the most common being arteriovenous. Only 5 to 8% of patients with these vascular malformations are symptomatic. When symptomatic, patients present with high-output cardiac failure, biliary ischemia (which, when severe, can progress to biliary and hepatic necrosis and lead to acute liver failure), or portal hypertension. Other less common presentations include portosystemic encephalopathy and abdominal angina. Diagnosis is confirmed by Doppler ultrasonography or multidetector computed tomography. The hallmark findings are intrahepatic hypervascularization and an enlarged common hepatic artery. Focal nodular hyperplasia and nodular regenerative hyperplasia are common findings. Symptomatic patients are treated with intensive medical treatment aimed at the predominant clinical presentation. Patients who fail aggressive medical therapy and those with acute biliary/hepatic necrosis should be considered for liver transplantation.
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PMID:Hepatic vascular malformations in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia. 1881 78

Liver cancers in children are primitive (hepatoblastoma, fibrolamellar hepatocarcinoma, sarcomas), or arise on a genetic or viral disease. Their treatment is a combination of chemotherapy (hepatoblastoma) and surgery. Neonatal hemangioendotheliomas may induce heart failure. They are now successfully treated with propranolol. Focal nodular hyperplasia is the most frequent benign tumour in older children and adolescents. Drug hepatotoxicity is not very frequent. Antipyretic drugs may induce severe side effects. Liver failure due to valproic acid is diagnostic of a respiratory chain disorder. The liver side effects of antituberculous and antiretroviral drugs should be monitored. Intestinal failure-associated liver disease is common and can be prevented or treated. Early referral to a specialized centre is important for the prognosis.
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PMID:Liver tumours, toxic hepatitis, intestinal failure-associated liver disease in children. 2253 3