Conditions & Procedures
Displaying 1 - 86 of 86
Displaying 1 - 86 of 86
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Acute liver failure (ALF) (also called fulminant hepatic failure) is a rare condition characterized by the abrupt onset of severe liver injury, manifest as a profound liver dysfunction as well as a confusional state called hepatic encephalopathy in individuals with no prior…
What is Alagille syndrome?
Alagille syndrome is a genetic condition that results in various symptoms in different parts of the body, including the liver. A person with Alagille syndrome has fewer than the normal number of small bile ducts inside the liver. The liver is the…
The liver is one of the largest and most complex organs in the body. It stores vital energy and nutrients, manufactures proteins and enzymes necessary for good health, protects the body from disease, and breaks down (or metabolizes) and helps remove harmful toxins, like…
What is autoimmune hepatitis?
Autoimmune hepatitis is a chronic—or long lasting—disease in which the body's immune system attacks the normal components, or cells, of the liver and causes inflammation and liver damage. The immune system normally protects people from infection…
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A tumor (also called neoplasm) is the abnormal growth of cells and/or tissues. Tumors are either benign or malignant, and are unregulated by the natural control mechanisms of the body.
By BruceBlaus (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Types of Benign…
Biliary atresia is a rare condition in newborn infants in which the common bile duct between the liver and the small intestine is blocked or absent.
Early surgical intervention to treat biliary atresia is critical to prevent irreversible liver damage. Once the liver…
Biliary atresia is a rare condition in newborn infants in which the common bile duct between the liver and the small intestine is blocked or absent.
Early surgical intervention to treat biliary atresia is critical to prevent irreversible liver damage. Once the liver…
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Choledochal cysts, are rare congenital dilations (enlargements) of the bile ducts, a network of long tube-like structures that carry bile from the liver to small intestine for digestion.
Biliary System
Choledochal cysts are classified into 5 types, based on site…
Choledochal cysts, are rare congenital dilations (enlargements) of the bile ducts, a network of long tube-like structures that carry bile from the liver to small intestine for digestion.
Biliary System
Choledochal cysts are classified into 5 types, based on site of the…
The two kidneys are bean-shaped organs located near the middle of the back, just below the rib cage to the left and right of the spine. Each about the size of a fist, these organs act as sophisticated filters for the body.
They process about 200 quarts of blood a day to sift…
Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large gland behind the stomach and close to the duodenum-the first part of the small intestine. The pancreas secretes digestive juices, or enzymes, into the duodenum through a tube called the pancreatic duct.…
Cirrhosis is the endpoint in patients who have chronic progressive liver disease. Patients with abnormal liver function who develop ascites, variceal hemorrhage, hepatic encephalopathy,or renal impairment are considered to have end-stage liver disease (ESLD). While liver…
¿Qué es la cirrosis?
La cirrosis es la cicatrización del hígado. El tejido cicatricial se forma como resultado de una herida o una enfermedad crónica, que quiere decir de larga duración. El tejido cicatricial reemplaza el tejido sano del hígado y obstruye el flujo normal de la…
Complex abdominal wall hernias are a special class of hernia that are associated with higher complication and recurrence rates, and are thus more difficult to manage. These hernias typically:
Involve a compromised surgical field in which gastrointestitinal, biliary or…
Increasing numbers of patients have large or complex abdominal wall defects such as giant abdominal wall hernias or enterocutaneous fistulas where bacterial contamination is present. These may result from from an incisional hernia due to multiple abdominal operations, surgical…
Cryosurgery freezes the tumor to stop it from growing. This is done with a special probe that contains liquid nitrogen or liquid carbon dioxide. The probe is placed through the skin and directed into the tumor, guided by computed tomography (CT), …
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Dialysis is a treatment to filter wastes and water from your blood, allowing people with kidney failure to feel better and continue doing the things they enjoy. However, when many people think of dialysis, their fears can keep them from learning about this treatment.…
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Chronic liver failure, also called end-stage liver disease, progresses over months, years, or decades. Most often, chronic liver failure is the result of cirrhosis, a condition in which scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue until the liver cannot function adequately. …
The kidneys are two bean shaped organs whose function is essential to life. The kidneys are located on either side of the spine behind the abdominal organs and below the rib cage. The kidneys perform several major functions:
Filtration of the blood to…
An enterocutaneous fistula (ECF) is an abnormal connection that develops between the intestinal tract or stomach and the skin. As a result, contents of the stomach or intestines leak through to the skin.
Most ECFs occur after bowel surgery. Other causes include infection,…
Epigastric and umbilical hernias result from a defect or weakness in the abdominal wall between the chest and the belly button. This weakness allows the tissues inside the abdomen to protrude, resulting in a bulge. Umbilical hernias are similar to epigastric hernias,…
What is ERCP?
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a procedure that combines upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy and x-rays to treat problems of the bile and pancreatic ducts.
What are the bile and pancreatic ducts?
Your …
F
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH is a common, often “silent” liver disease. It resembles alcoholic liver disease, but occurs in people who drink little or no alcohol. The major feature in NASH is fat in the liver, along with inflammation and damage. Most people with NASH…
La esteatohepatitis no alcohólica (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, NASH por sus siglas) es una enfermedad común del hígado. A menudo es “silenciosa”, es decir, no presenta síntomas. La NASH se parece a las enfermedades del hígado causadas por el consumo de alcohol, pero se…
Femoral hernias are another type of groin hernias, but occur lower in the body than the more common inguinal hernia. Fomoral hernias develop in the upper part of the thigh near the groin just below the inguinal ligament, where abdominal contents pass…
A flank hernia, also known as a lumbar hernia, results from defects in the postero-lateral abdominal wall that allows the tissues inside the abdomen to protrude. Lumbar hernias most frequently occur as a result of traumatic injury to the back or side of the…
G
Gastroparesis, also called delayed gastric emptying, is a disorder in which the stomach takes too long to empty its contents. Normally, the stomach contracts to move food down into the small intestine for digestion. The vagus nerve controls the movement of food from the…
A giant abdominal wall hernia can develop from an existing ventral or incisional hernia, sometimes arising after one or more failed repair attempts. These hernias may also result from a traumatic injury where the abdomen was required to be left open and healing was…
Many diseases affect kidney function by attacking the glomeruli, the tiny units within the kidney where blood is cleaned. Glomerular diseases include many conditions with a variety of genetic and environmental causes, but they fall into two major categories:…
H
What causes hemochromatosis?
Primary Hemochromatosis
Inherited genetic defects cause primary hemochromatosis, and mutations in the HFE gene are associated with up to 90 percent of cases.1 The HFE gene helps regulate the amount of iron absorbed from…
Embolization is a therapy to treat liver tumors by blocking their blood supply. Because liver tumors thrive on highly oxygenated blood from the hepatic artery, blocking that supply may kill it. Embolization is often used to treat tumors not amenable to surgery (liver…
What is hepatitis B?
Hepatitis* B is a virus, or infection, that causes liver disease and inflammation of the liver. Viruses can cause sickness. For example, the flu is caused by a virus. People can pass viruses to each other.
Inflammation is swelling that…
Did you know that Asian and Pacific Islander Americans and other foreign-born Americans are at higher risk for chronic hepatitis B, which can lead to liver failure and liver cancer?
What is hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is a liver disease spread through contact with blood,…
您知道亞太裔和其他外國出生的美國人在罹患慢性B型肝炎上冒著更高的風險嗎？慢性B型肝炎可導致肝衰竭和肝癌。
B型肝炎是什麼?
B型肝炎是一種肝臟疾病，透過接觸感染B型肝炎病毒者的血液、精液或其他體液而傳播。該疾病最常見的傳播方式是由感染的母親在嬰兒出生時傳染給嬰兒。B型肝炎還可以透過性活動、傷口與傷口的接觸，以及與帶有血液的物體，如剃刀、牙刷、注射器、紋身以及在身體穿環孔的針頭接觸而傳播。
B型肝炎不會因為一般的接觸如握手或擁抱而傳播；分享食物或飲料、打噴嚏和咳嗽，以及哺乳也不會傳播B型肝炎。
[頂端]
慢性B型肝炎是什麼?…
¿Qué es la hepatitis B?
La hepatitis B es un virus, o una infección, que provoca enfermedad e inflamación hepáticas (del hígado). Los virus pueden provocar enfermedades. Por ejemplo, la gripe es provocada por un virus. Es posible que las personas se contagien los virus de…
이 창에서는
B형 간염이란?
만성 B형 간염이란?
왜 아시아와 태평양군도 계 미국인들의 발병 위험도가 더 높습니까?
만성 B형 간염의 증상은 무엇입니까?
어떤 사람이 B형 간염에 쉽게 노출됩니까?
어떻게 B형 간염을 사전에 예방할 수 있습니까?
신생아를 B형 간염으로부터 어떻게 보호합니까?
어디서 B형 간염에 대한 자세한 정보를 얻을 수 있습니까?
저자의 말
아시아 또는 태평양군도 계 미국인 및 외국 태생의 미국인들이 간암과 간 기능 장애를 유도하는 만성 B형 간염에…
(Hepatitis B: What Asian and Pacific Islander Americans Need to Know)
Alam mo bang ang mga Asyanong- Amerikano at mga Amerikanong taga-islang Pasipiko at iba pang mga ipinanganak sa ibang bansa ay mas nanganganib para sa chronic hepatitis B, na maaaring magtungo sa kahinaan ng…
Quý vị có biết là Người Mỹ gốc Á Châu và Thuộc Đảo Thái Bình Dương và Người Mỹ sanh đẻ ở nước ngoài có nhiều cơ nguy bị bệnh viêm gan B mãn tính hơn, bệnh này có thể dẫn đến suy gan và ung thư gan không?
Viêm gan B là gì?
Viêm gan B là căn bệnh về gan truyền lan qua việc…
What is hepatitis C?
Hepatitis* C is a virus, or infection, that causes liver disease and inflammation of the liver. Viruses can cause sickness. For example, the flu is caused by a virus. People can pass viruses to each other.
Inflammation is swelling…
¿Qué es la hepatitis C?
La hepatitis C es un virus, o una infección, que provoca enfermedad e inflamación hepáticas (del hígado). Los virus pueden provocar enfermedades. Por ejemplo, la gripe es provocada por un virus. Es posible que las personas se contagien los virus de…
A hernia occurs when an organ, intestine or fatty tissue squeezes through a hole or a weak spot in the surrounding muscle or connective tissue. Hernias often occur at the abdominal wall. Sometimes a hernia can be visible as an external bulge particularly when straining or…
Highly active antiretroviral therapy or HAART, the use of multiple antiretroviral drugs to control HIV infection, has enabled HIV/AIDS patients to live longer. Most patients with HIV/AIDS today die not from AIDS-associated opportunistic…
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In an inguinal hernia, abdominal fat or a loop of small intestine enters the inguinal canal, a tubular passage through the lower layers of the abdominal wall. A hernia occurs when part of an internal organ (usually the small intestine) protrudes through a weak point or…
Some persons are born with or develop irreversible intestinal failure. Intestinal failure occurs when a person's intestines can't digest food and absorb the fluids, electrolytes and nutrients essential to life and normal development. Patients must then receive TPN,…
Inflammation associated with recurrent bouts of pancreatitis causes scarring and blockage of the pancreatic ducts. This produces severe chronic pain and often malabsorption because the normal function of digestive enzymes is compromised.
Pain medications, …
Islet cell transplantation places cells from an organ donor into the body of another person. It is used experimentally to treat type 1 diabetes
Image Courtesy of UCSF Diabetes Education Online
Pancreatic Islets and Beta Cells
The pancreas is an organ about the…
K
Chronic kidney disease is a major health concern in this country afflicting more than eight million Americans. When kidney function declines to a certain level, patients have end-stage renal disease and require either dialysis or transplantation to sustain their life.…
Our Pediatric Kidney Transplant Program is one of the oldest and most experienced kidney transplant programs in the United States. Helping kids with end-stage kidney disease return to normal life through kidney transplants is our goal.
More than 500 transplants have…
L
For over a decade, UCSF transplant surgeons have performed a minimally invasive procedure known as a laparoscopic donor nephrectomy. A nephrectomy is the removal of a kidney.
In a laparoscopic donor nephrectomy, a kidney is transplanted from…
Laparoscopic surgery is performed using general anesthesia. The surgeon makes several small incisions in the lower abdomen and inserts a laparoscope-a thin tube with a tiny video camera attached to one end. The camera sends a magnified image from inside the body to a monitor,…
Laparoscopic surgery is performed using general anesthesia. The surgeon makes several small incisions in the abdomen and inserts a laparoscope-a thin tube with a tiny video camera attached to one end. The camera projects a magnified image of inside the abdomen to a monitor,…
Liver cysts are thin-walled sacs filled with air, fluids, or semi-solid material. Liver cysts occur in approximately 5% of people. The majority of cysts are benign, but all cancers are able to produce malignant cysts. Patients…
Liver metastases are tumors that have spread to the liver from other areas of the the body. Cancer cells often have aggressive tendencies and will invade other areas of the body. They usually do so by floating in the blood stream and then replicating themselves…
A liver resection is the surgical removal of all or a portion of the liver. It is also referred to as a hepatectomy, full or partial. A complete liver resection is performed in the setting of a transplant a diseased liver is removed from a…
A liver transplant is an operation that replaces a patient's diseased liver with a whole or partial healthy liver from another person. This article explains the current indications for liver transplantation, types of donor livers, the operation itself, and the…
The UCSF Liver Transplant Program is one of the nation's leading liver transplant centers for both children and adults and has been designated a "Center of Excellence" by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Children who receive livers at UCSF have…
Additional reference at UCSF Health: https://www.ucsfhealth.org/lp/living-organ-donorsAs kidneys become diseased, they lose their ability to function, a condition called end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or kidney failure. Treatments for kidney failure are hemodialysis, a…
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While some liver tumors can be removed surgically, the majority are inoperable and must be treated by alternative means. One such method is ablation (tissue destruction), a surgical procedure traditionally performed using a number of …
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In open hernia repair, also called herniorrhaphy, a person is given local anesthesia in the abdomen or spine to numb the area, general anesthesia to sedate or help the person sleep, or a combination of the two. Then the surgeon makes an incision in the groin, moves the hernia…
In open hernia repair, also called herniorrhaphy, a person is given general anesthesia to sedate or help the person sleep, and this is often augmented with epidural anesthesia to improve recovery time and pain control. Then the surgeon makes an incision on the abdomen,…
P
The pancreas is an organ about the size of a hand located in the abdomen in the vicinity of the stomach, intestines, and other organs. It lies behind the stomach and in front of the spine. The pancreas produces juices that help digest food and hormones such as…
With percutaneous ethanol (alcohol) Injection, surgeons or interventional radiologists locate the tumor, usually with ultrasound guidannce, and pass a needle into the tumor. A liquid containing a high concentration of alcohol is then injected through the needle. The…
What is peritoneal dialysis and how does it work?
Peritoneal dialysis is a treatment for kidney failure that uses the lining of your abdomen, or belly, to filter your blood inside your body. Doctors call this lining the peritoneum. A doctor will place a soft tube, called a…
The UCSF PKD Center of Excellence is a comprehensive clinic dedicated to the care of individuals with polycystic kidney disease. PKD is a kidney disease, but it also affects many other organ systems. The PKD Center of Excellence is experienced in navigating all related medical…
What are porphyrias?
Porphyrias are rare disorders that affect mainly the skin or nervous system and may cause abdominal pain. These disorders are usually inherited, meaning they are caused by abnormalities in genes passed from parents to children. When a person has a…
Portal vein embolization (PVE) is a procedure that induces regrowth on one side of the liver in advance of a planned hepatic resection on the other side. The procedure is frequently used in primary liver cancer (hepatocellular…
Some patients with abdominal wall hernias have such large hernias that they are called "giant" hernias, commonly defined as a hernia greater than 10 cm in any dimension. These giant hernias can also be associated with loss of domain. When there is loss of domain, the abdominal…
What is primary biliary cirrhosis?
Primary biliary cirrhosis is a chronic, or long lasting, disease that causes the small bile ducts in the liver to become inflamed and damaged and ultimately disappear.
The bile ducts carry a fluid called bile from the liver to the gallbladder…
What is primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)?
PSC is a disease that damages and blocks bile ducts inside and outside the liver. Bile is a liquid made in the liver. Bile ducts are tubes that carry bile out of the liver to the gallbladder and small intestine. In the…
R
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a minimally invasive treatment, one of several types of ablation therapy, where surgery is not a good option. Guided by imaging, a thin needle or probe is inserted through the skin and into the tumor.The probe…
The breakdown of a hernia repair is called recurrent hernia. The bulge returns at or near the site of the prior hernia. Recurrent hernias greatly increase the complexity of subsequent repair. If left untreated, severe complications can result such as the…
UCSF is one of the few centers in the U.S. and world-wide using a specialized surgical shunt to treat portal hypertension. The surgical procedure utlilizes a Rex shunt, also known as a meso-portal shunt, to restore normal blood flow back to the liver in patients who have…
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Short bowel syndrome is a group of problems related to poor absorption of nutrients that typically occurs in people who have had half or more of their small intestine removed. The small intestine and the large intestine, also called the colon, make up the bowel. The small…
A spigelian hernia, also known as a lateral ventral hernia, develops through the spigelian fascia, the muscles found in the abdominal wall whereas most other hernias develop just below layers of fat.
Because of the location, swelling is often minimal with little outward signs…
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The liver processes almost everything a person consumes, including chemicals, medications and alcohol. In some instances, these substances may cause serious injury to the liver, resulting in toxic hepatitis - a condition that causes inflammation of the liver.
By BruceBlaus (…
Diabetes is a serious disease, which, if not controlled, can be life threatening. It is often associated with long-term complications that can affect every system and part of the body. Diabetes can contribute to eye disorders and blindness, heart disease, stroke, kidney…
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A vascular access is a hemodialysis patient’s lifeline, because it makes life-saving hemodialysis treatments possible. Hemodialysis is a treatment for kidney failure that uses a machine to send the patient’s blood through a filter, called a dialyzer, outside the body. The…
A hernia occurs when part of an internal organ (usually the small intestine) protrudes through a weak point of the abdominal wall, resulting in a bulge.
A ventral or incisional hernia specifically describes a hernia, often in the middle of the abdomen, that occurs after a…
What is viral hepatitis?
Viral hepatitis is inflammation of the liver caused by a virus. Several different viruses, named the hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E viruses, cause viral hepatitis.
All of these viruses cause acute, or short-term, viral hepatitis. The hepatitis B, C,…
W
What is Wilson disease?
Wilson disease is a genetic disease that prevents the body from removing extra copper. The body needs a small amount of copper from food to stay healthy; however, too much copper is poisonous. Normally, the liver filters extra copper and releases it…
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Radioembolization also known as selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT), is a form of radiation therapy used to selected patients who are not candidates for surgery due to the location of their tumors or their performance (health) status. …