This series of occasional articles provides an update on the best use of key diagnostic tests in the initial investigation of common or important clinical presentations. The series advisers are Steve Atkin, professor, head of department of academic endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism, Hull York Medical School; and Eric Kilpatrick, honorary professor, department of clinical biochemistry, Hul...

Five laboratory assays are commonly called liver function tests (LFTs), although these tests are neither specific to the liver nor true measures of liver function. As a result, alanine aminotransferase (ALT or SGPT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST or SGOT), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and bilirubin have proven problematic for clinicians and risk selection profes...

Interpretation of abnormalities in liver function tests is a common problem faced by clinicians. This has become more common with the introduction of automated routine laboratory testing. Not all persons with one or more abnormalities in these tests actually have liver disease. The various biochemical tests, their pathophysiology, and an approach to the interpretation of abnormal liver function...

Recent advances in the treatment of liver disease and the increased prevalence of infectious hepatitis have stimulated interest in tests of liver function. These have proved useful both in diagnosis and in following the course of liver disease. Their value, however, has been questioned by some and overrated by others. In approaching this problem it is well to recognize at the outset that liver ...

Liver function tests (LFT) are a helpful screening tool, which are an effective modality to detect hepatic dysfunction. Since the liver performs a variety of functions so no single test is sufficient to provide complete estimate of function of liver. Often clinicians are faced with reports that do not tally with the clinical condition of the patient and they face difficulty in interpreting the ...

We investigated the prevalence of positive viral hepatitis titres in sickle cell disease (SCD) and the relationship of abnormal liver function tests (LFTs) to transfusions and ferritin levels. Charts from 141 patients with SCD were reviewed and recent laboratory data on serum ferritin, hepatitis serology, units of packed red blood cells transfused and LFTs were collected. Hepatitis B core antib...

Interest in liver function in rheumatoid arthritis has arisen from investigations into the aetiology of the disease and from the observation that an attack of jaundice may induce a remission (Hench, 1940). Laboratory studies have, however, given conflicting results. Impaired glucose tolerance was found by Pemberton and Foster (1920) and by Andrews and Muether (1941) and Flynn and Irish (1946). ...

INTRODUCTION The cardiopulmonary bypass may have multiple systemic effects on the body organs as liver. This prospective study was planned to explore further the incidence and significance of this change. METHODS Two hundred patients with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), were randomly selected for the study. Total and indirect bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransfe...