Support of the Acutely Failing Liver

Achilles A. Demetriou and Frederick D. Watanabe, both Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

1. The Liver: A Brief Historical Perspective 2. Acute Liver Failure: Definitions and Etiology 3. Acute Hepatic Encephalopathy: Pathophysiology and Diagnosis 4. Acute Hepatic Encephalopathy: Treatment 5. Medical Management of Acute Liver Failure 6. Surgical Management of Acute Liver Failure 7. Liver Support System Development 8. Clinical Experience with a Bioartificial Liver 9. Clinical Use of a Bioartificial Liver to Treat Acetaminophen-Induced Fulminant Hepatic Failure 10. Development of a Strategy for Management of Severe Acute Liver Failure: The Liver Support Unit 11. Other Experimental Therapeutic Strategies: Liver Gene Therapy 12. Other Experimental Therapeutic Strategies: Hepatocyte Transplantation