Cirrhosis Diagnosis and Evaluation Methods

The best test for the diagnosis of cirrhosis is a liver biopsy. Liver biopsies on cirrhosis diagnosis, however, has a low risk of serious complications and, therefore, biopsy is usually reserved for patients in whom the diagnosis of the type of disease or the presence of liver cirrhosis is unclear. The possibility that cirrhosis can be suggested by history, physical examination or routine tests. If cirrhosis is present, other tests may be used to determine the severity of cirrhosis and presence of complications. The tests also can be used to diagnose the underlying disease causes cirrhosis. Here are some examples of how doctors learn to diagnose and assess cirrhosis :

Taking the history of the patient, the doctor may discover a history of prolonged and excessive consumption of alcohol, a history of intravenous drug abuse, or history of hepatitis. This information suggests the possibility of liver disease and cirrhosis.
Patients who are known to have chronic viral hepatitis B or C are more likely to have cirrhosis.
Some patients had cirrhosis of liver hypertrophy and / or spleen. A doctor can often feel (palpate) the lower edge of an enlarged liver below the right rib cage and feel the tip of the spleen in the left ribcage. A cirrhotic liver also feels firmer and more irregular than normal liver.
Auto-antibodies (antinuclear antibodies, anti-smooth muscle antibodies and anti-mitochondria) are sometimes detected in the blood and can be a sign of the presence of autoimmune hepatitis or primary biliary cirrhosis, both can lead to cirrhosis.
Liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) can be detected by CT and MRI or ultrasound of the abdomen. Liver cancer occurs more frequently in individuals with underlying cirrhosis.
Some patients with cirrhosis, alcoholic cirrhosis, especially, have small red spider-like markings (telangiectasias) on the skin, especially in the chest, consisting of enlarged blood vessels radiate. These spider telangiectasias can be observed in individuals without liver disease, however.
Patients with abnormal deposits of copper in the eye or certain types of neurological May has Wilson’s disease, a genetic disease in which there is manipulation and abnormal accumulation of copper in the body like the liver, which can lead to cirrhosis.
May is unexpectedly esophageal varices during upper endoscopy (EGD), suggesting cirrhosis.
Computed Tomography (CT or CAT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound examinations of the abdomen done for reasons other than to evaluate the possibility of liver disease in May unexpectedly detect abnormal liver hypertrophy nodular liver, enlarged spleen, and fluid in the abdomen suggest cirrhosis.
Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes due to elevated levels of bilirubin in the blood) is common in patients with cirrhosis, but jaundice can occur in patients suffering from liver cirrhosis and other conditions such as hemolysis (excess red blood cells break down).
Swelling of the abdomen (ascites) and / or legs (edema) due to fluid retention is common in patients with cirrhosis of many other illnesses can make routinely, for example, congestive heart failure.
The advanced cirrhosis leads to a lower level of albumin in the blood and reduces clotting factors due to the loss of the ability of the liver to produce these proteins. Therefore, the decreased levels of albumin in the blood suggest cirrhosis or abnormal bleeding.
Abnormal elevation of liver enzymes in the blood (such as ALT and AST), which are regularly supplied as part of annual health examinations suggest that inflammation or liver damage from many causes, and cirrhosis.
Patients with high levels of iron in the blood may have hemochromatosis, a genetic disease of the liver in which iron is handled in an abnormal way, leading to cirrhosis.
If there is an accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, a fluid sample can be removed using a long needle. The liquid may be inspected and tested. Test results may suggest the presence of cirrhosis as the cause of the fluid.