Liver Transplantation

Many clinicians are reluctant to use interferon-based therapy to treat chronic hepatitis C patients with decompensated cirrhosis (liver failure) due to the risk of severe adverse events. Such patients, however, may be in the most dire need of treatment as they await liver transplantation.
As reported at the Digestive Disease Week 2008 conference last month in San Diego, Alexandra Retana and John Wong performed a systemic review of prior studies looking at the risks and benefits of antiviral therapy for decompensated hepatitis C patients.