RT Book, Section A1 Avila, Patrick A1 Grace, Norman D. A2 McKean, Sylvia C. A2 Ross, John J. A2 Dressler, Daniel D. A2 Scheurer, Danielle B. SR Print(0) ID 1137616463 T1 Cirrhosis and Its Complications T2 Principles and Practice of Hospital Medicine, 2e YR 2017 FD 2017 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9780071843133 LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1137616463 RD 2024/03/29 AB Cirrhosis of the liver is a chronic illness that progresses at a variable rate, dependent on the etiology and the activity of the offending toxin. It is a dynamic process, which is potentially reversible in the earlier stages if the offending agent is either removed or modified. Classically, cirrhosis has been defined histologically as architecturally abnormal nodules separated by bands of fibrous tissue. The diagnosis has usually been based on clinical suspicion, confirmed by radiologic studies and a liver biopsy as the gold standard. ­However, sampling error on biopsy may lead to incorrect staging of the disease, where the transition from severe fibrosis to cirrhosis is misinterpreted. Therefore, advanced chronic liver disease has been proposed as a more encompassing definition for the transitional stages. However, in this chapter, we will continue to use cirrhosis as the term to characterize this entity.