A few decades ago it was common that experienced hepatologists had a major role in the interpretation of liver biopsy findings; in some cases the liver pathologist was indeed a clinician. The combination of clinical expertise and knowledge in pathology was considered very valuable. Nevertheless, the super-specialization of medicine and the incorporation of new (and more complex) diagnostic techniques in pathology has diminished the role of the liver disease specialist in the interpretation of liver biopsies. Pathologists are currently in charge of liver biopsy diagnosis. It is still very important, however, to discuss each case with the clinicians who are in charge of the patient. It is not uncommon that the findings in a liver biopsy may correspond to a wide spectrum of diseases. In such cases, a good clinical history, relevant laboratory results and imaging data may be crucial to narrow the diagnostic possibilities. The discussion between clinicians and pathologists is thus crucial to reach a diagnosis.

Differently from other Schools of Hepatology, our goal is to present “syndromic” situations and not particular diseases, which is what the clinical hepatologists will encounter in their clinical practice.  The clinician will face a patient with cholestasis, a patient with an acute liver failure or a oncological patient with abnormal liver tests.

School Organisers:  Alba Díaz and Xavier Forns

To help clinical hepatologists to interpret a liver biopsy, by reviewing the most frequent situations in which a liver biopsy is indicated.

Young hepatologists with interest in learning how to interpret liver biopsies

• The very practical orientation of the school, which is based on real cases diagnosed at our Liver Unit
• The presence of a group of experts covering the full range of situations in which a liver biopsy is indicated
• The variety of selected topics, that cover most aspects of liver diseases