Primary liver cancer is a rather unusual malignancy in that the incidence varies tremendously from one geographical area to another. While relatively uncom mon in Western countries, it is the most prevalent malignant neoplasm in Southeast Asia, South Africa, and many other regions; in all, the countries in which primary liver cancer is very prevalent account for more than two-thirds of the world's population. In China alone, approximately 100 000 people die every year from primary liver cancer, mostly hepatocellular carcinoma. The incidence is rising in some countries, especially Japan, where...

Portal hypertension is the abnormal pathophysiologic state that develops in liver cirrhosis and certain other disorders with characteristic clinical and hemodynamic features. There has been great progress in our under standing and management of portal hypertension, particularly in the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. The so-called Banti's syndrome, a disorder whose existence had long been questioned, is now a well-defined portal hypertensive disease. The recently introduced Doppler ftowmetry is currently yielding new information on portal hemodynamics. Endoscopic sclerotherapy and...