The contributions to this volume cover all aspects of the assessment and management of hepatobiliary disease. The focal points of the book consist of three state-of-the-art summaries. The first of these deals with the highly topical problem of liver transplants from the point of view of patient selection. The second considers drug-induced liver injury in view of the fact that the liver is the main metabolic site for a number of drugs. The final summary deals with liver and aging: it asks whether the liver follows the aging process of the host organisms and whether the liver of aged liver transplant candidate donors could be suitable for grafting. Aside from these topics, the volume presents basic research on hepatic transport mechanisms, intrahepatic cholestasis and gall-stone disease, which serves as a background for the topics more specifically concerning the assessment of liver function. Much of the book is then devoted to the management of the commonest forms of liver diseases and their complications, such as chronic active hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, portal hypertension, hepatic encephalopathy, hepatorenal syndrome, and ascites.