In this issue of Clinics in Liver Disease, guest editor Dr. Steven L. Flamm brings his considerable expertise to the topic of Updates in Consultations in Liver Disease. Many disease entities are uncommon and complicated in scope, and liver disease may occur in the setting of other chronic medical conditions and involve other organ systems. In this issue, top experts provide a up-to-date framework for approaching consultation for common liver-related problems for the gastroenterology and hepatology practitioner. Contains 12 practice-oriented topics including clinical pearls in evaluation and treatment of patients with liver disease; evaluation of patients with markedly elevated liver enzymes; evaluation of liver disease in pregnancy; COVID and implications on the liver; and more. Provides in-depth clinical reviews on consultations in liver disease, offering actionable insights for clinical practice. Presents the latest information on this timely, focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field. Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create clinically significant, topic-based reviews.

In collaboration with Consulting Editor, Dr. Norman Gitlin, Dr. Steven Flamm has put together another great update for the hepatology consult. Articles are submitted by expert author and in the format of the clinical review article, provide timely data for diagnosis and treatment. Specific areas addressed include the following: Management of esophageal and gastric varices; Severe thrombocytopenia in chronic liver disease and new management approaches; Pathology in chronic liver disease; Alpha 1 antitrypsin disease and chronic liver disease in adults; Evaluation of management of Budd-Chiari; HBV reactivation with immunosuppressive therapy; Homeopathic products and hepatotoxicity; New uses of TIPS; Dermatologic manifestations of chronic liver disease; Acute on chronic liver failure; Cholangiocarcinoma; Diagnosis and management of hepatic adenoma and focal nodular hyperplasia; Emerging data about the microbiome in chronic liver disease; and Acute viral hepatitis aside from HAV, HBV, and HCV. Readers will come away with the information they need to improve patient outcomes.

Consultations of Gastroenterology practitioners are frequently sought for many complex issues relating to acute and chronic liver disease. Many of the disease entities are uncommon and complicated in scope. Liver disease may occur in the setting of other chronic medical conditions and involve other organ systems, with recommendations for diagnostic strategies and therapeutic approaches somewhat challenging. Serious consequences are often the rule with misdiagnosed or inadequately treated liver disease. Dr. Flamm has provided a framework for approaching consultation for common liver-related problems for the gastroenterology practitioner. Articles are devoted to the following topics: Common Findings and Interpretation for the Clinician; Genetic Testing in Liver Disease: What to Order and When; Acute Liver Failure; Liver Disease in Oncology Patients; Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis: What the Gastroenterologist/Hepatologist Needs to Know; An Update on the Treatment and Follow up of Patients with PBC; Wilson's Disease: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Follow Up; Follow Up of the Post-Liver Transplantation Patient: A Primer for the Practicing Gastroenterologist; Liver Disease in Patients on Total Parenteral Nutrition; Treatment Strategies in NAFLD: What's Coming; Resistance Testing in Chronic HCV; and HCV genotype 3: Treatment Approach and Natural History.

Dr. Flamm has invited a group of distinguished hepatologists to provide insight into the assessment of a variety of scenarios where clinical judgment based on experience and published literature is an invaluable addition to the care of individual patients. Articles included in the issue address the following topics: Evaluation and Management of Portal Vein Thrombosis, Liver Disease in the HIV patient, Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Evaluation of Renal Insufficiency in the Cirrhotic Patient, Contemporary Management of Autoimmune Hepatitis, Diagnosis and Treatment of Overlap Syndromes, Ins and Outs of Liver Imaging for the Gastroenterologist, Contemporary Assessment of Hepatic Fibrosis, A Primer on Liver Transplantation Immunosuppressive Agents for the Gastroenterologist, Evaluation of Jaundice in the Hospitalized Patient, Liver Disease in the Adolescent, Evaluation and Management of Hemochromatosis and How and When to Administer Hepatitis A and B Virus Vaccinations. These are all common contemporary reasons for consultations for Gastroenterologists and Hepatologists and this issue will address the issues in a pragmatic way.

With very much success in 2009, this topic is being updated again in 2012. Dr. Flamm has invited a group of distinguished hepatologists to provide insight into the assessment of a variety of scenarios where clinical judgment based on experience and published literature is an invaluable addition to the care of individual patients. Articles included in the issue address the following topics: Evaluatio of Elevated Liver Enzymes and? Abnormal Liver Panel; Evaluation of Liver Lesions; Chronic HCV; Evaluation of Hepatic Cholestasis; Chronic HBV; Ascites; Fatty Liver; Pruritus in the patient with chronic cholestatic liver disease; Is the patient a candidate for liver transplantation; Care of the cirrhotic patient; Abnormal liver panel in pregnancy; Surgical clearance for the patient with chronic liver disease; Granulomatous Liver Disease; Drug Induced Liver Disease; and? Hepatic Encephalopathy.