Term

Explanation

ascites

an abnormal accumulation of fluid within the abdomen

anastomosis

a connection that is created between tubular structures, such as blood vessels or loops of intestine, e.g. when part of an intestine is surgically removed, the two remaining ends are sewn or stapled together

cholangiopathy

any disease of the bile ducts

clavicle

the bone extending from the breastbone (sternum) at the base of the front of the neck to the shoulder, also known as the collarbone

collaterals

a side branch, as of a blood vessel or nerve

coagulation

(also known as clotting) is the process by which blood changes from a liquid to a gel

encephalopathy

a general term describing a disease that affects the function or structure of your brain

epigastrium

the part of the abdominal wall that is above the belly button

extrahepatic portal vein thrombosis

the development of a blood clot in the vein outside the liver that brings blood into the liver

focal biliary cirrhosis

inflammation and scarring of the liver tissue and bile ducts at one particular site of the liver, further impairing the release of bile and overall liver function

hepatic

relating to affecting, associated with, supplying or draining the liver

hepatic venous pressure

the venous pressure differences between portal vein and Inferior vena cava (a large vein which carries blood from lower part of the body to the heart ) distal to the liver

hepatic encephalopathy

brain dysfunction directly due to liver dysfunction, most often recognized in advanced liver disease

hepatic portal system

a group of veins that carry blood from blood vessels in the stomach, intestine, spleen and pancreas which merge into the portal vein, which then branches into smaller vessels and travels through the liver

heterogenous

different in kind, diverse, unlike each other

intrahepatic

within the liver

intravascular

within blood vessels

isotope

any of two or more types of atoms of a chemical element with the same atomic number and nearly identical chemical behavior but with a different number of neutrons (that is, a greater or lesser atomic mass) than the standard for that element and different physical properties

jugular

of or relating to the throat or neck or relating to the jugular vein

lesser omentum

part of the membrane that forms the lining of the abdominal cavity which is found in a double layer and goes from the beginning of the small intestine and stomach’s lesser curvature to the liver

mesenteric

relating to the peritoneal or membranous fold attaching the small intestine to the dorsal body wall

mid‐clavicular line

a vertical line passing through the midpoint of the collarbone

occlusion

a shutting off, blocking or obstruction of something

oesophagus

the tube that connects the pharynx (throat) with the stomach, in humans it is about 23 cm long

parenchymal

the essential and distinctive tissue of an organ or an abnormal growth as distinguished from its supportive framework

parenchymal echogenicity

In ultrasonography, the extent to which functional part of an organ or structure gives rise to reflections of ultrasonic waves

portal hypertension

an increase in the blood pressure within a system of veins called the portal venous system (or hepatic portal system ‐ see above)

porto‐systemic shunt

also known as a liver shunt, is a bypass of the liver by the body's circulatory system i.e. a blood vessel that carries blood around the liver instead of through it

splenomegaly

enlargement of the spleen

spleen

the spleen plays multiple supporting roles in the body, acting as a filter for blood as part of the immune system, recycling old red blood cells and storing platelets and white blood cells; it also helps fight certain kinds of bacteria that cause pneumonia and meningitis.

splenorenal

of relating to or joining the veins in the spleen veins or arteries in the kidneys

steatosis

a build up of fat in the liver

stenosis

a narrowing of a passage or vessel

scintigraphy

a diagnostic technique which uses small amounts of radioactive materials called radiotracers, a special camera and a computer to evaluate an organ's function and anatomy and determine whether it is working properly

technetium

a radioactive tracer isotope widely used in nuclear medicine e.g. scintigraphy (see above)

thrombosis

formation or presence of a blood clot in a blood vessel

varices

(singular: varix)

abnormally dilated and lengthened veins, arteries or lymph vessels, e.g. a varicose vein

Term

Explanation

Chi² test

a statistical test based on comparison of a test statistic to a Chi² distribution; used in RevMan analyses to test the statistical significance of the measure of heterogeneity

dichotomous

related with scale for grouping into two categories only

forest plot

a graphical representation of the individual results of each study included in a meta‐analysis together with the combined meta‐analysis result; it allows readers to see the variety between individual study results. The results of individual studies are shown as squares centred on each study’s point estimate. A horizontal line runs through each square to show each study’s confidence interval ‐ usually, but not always, a 95% confidence interval. The overall estimate from the meta‐analysis and its confidence interval are shown at the bottom, represented as a diamond. The centre of the diamond represents the pooled point estimate, and its horizontal tips represent the confidence interval.

I² statistic

a measure of heterogeneity (difference); it describes the percentage of the variability in effect estimates that is due to real differences rather than sampling error (chance). A value greater than 50% may be considered to represent substantial heterogeneity.

intention‐to‐treat (ITT) principle

a strategy for analysing data from a randomised controlled trial where all participants are included in the group to which they were allocated, whether or not they received (or completed) the treatment given to that group. ITT analysis prevents bias caused by the loss of participants, which may disrupt the equality between groups at the start of the study established by randomisation and which may reflect non‐adherence to the protocol. The term is often misused in trial publications when some participants are excluded.

odds ratio

the ratio of the odds of an event happening in one group compared to the odds of an event happening in another group. In studies of treatment effect, the odds in the treatment group are usually divided by the odds in the control group. An odds ratio of one indicates no difference between comparison groups. For undesirable outcomes an odds ratio that is less than one indicates that the intervention was effective in reducing the risk of that outcome. When the risk is small, odds ratios are very similar to risk ratios.

quasi‐randomised controlled trial

a trial using methods of allocating people to a particular group which are not random, but were intended to produce similar groups of participants. Quasi‐random methods include using the person's date of birth, the day of the week or month of the year, a person's medical record number, or just putting people into alternate groups. In practice, these methods of allocation are relatively easy to manipulate, introducing selection bias.

randomised controlled trial

an experiment where two or more interventions (possibly including a control intervention or no intervention) are compared by putting participants into intervention groups at random. In most trials each person is put into one intervention group, but sometimes assignment is to defined groups of individuals (for example, in a household) or interventions are assigned within individuals (for example, in different orders or to different parts of the body).

Review Manager 5

software developed for Cochrane to help review authors to produce Cochrane Reviews

sensitivity analysis

an analysis used to determine how sensitive the results of a study or systematic review are to changes in how it was done, they are used to assess how robust the results are to uncertain decisions or assumptions about the data and the methods that were used