Liver transplantation can be curative. Gilberts syndrome, a genetic disorder of bilirubin metabolism found in a small percent of the population, can cause mild jaundice. Cirrhosis is the formation of fibrous tissue (fibrosis) in the place of liver cells that have died due to a variety of causes, including viral hepatitis, alcohol overconsumption, and other forms of liver toxicity. Cirrhosis causes chronic liver failure. Primary liver cancer most commonly manifests as hepatocellular carcinoma or cholangiocarcinoma; rarer forms include angiosarcoma and hemangiosarcoma of the liver. (Many liver malignancies are secondary lesions that have metastasized from primary cancers in the gastrointestinal tract and other organs, such as the kidneys, lungs.) Primary biliary cirrhosis is a serious autoimmune disease of the bile capillaries. Primary sclerosing cholangitis is a serious chronic inflammatory disease of the bile duct, which is believed to be autoimmune in origin. Budd–Chiari syndrome is the clinical picture caused by occlusion of the hepatic vein. Mechanisms
Liver diseases can develop through several mechanisms:

DNA damage
One general mechanism, increased DNA damage, is shared by some of the major liver diseases, including infection by hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus, heavy alcohol consumption, and obesity.Viral infection by hepatitis B virus, or hepatitis C virus causes an increase of reactive oxygen species. The increase in intracellular reactive oxygen species is about 10,000-fold with chronic hepatitis B virus infection and 100,000-fold following hepatitis C virus infection. This increase in reactive oxygen species causes inflammation and more than 20 types of DNA damage.
Usually, the underlying condition has to cause intense inflammation of the pleura, though it is unclear exactly how this results in fibrosis. The precise mechanisms producing the fibrosis are not entirely clear. However, research indicates a protein called Transforming Growth Factor beta (TGF-β) plays a central role in producing fibrothorax. Anti-TGF-β antibodies prevent fibrothorax in empyema in animal models. Diagnosis
A fibrothorax can typically be diagnosed by taking an appropriate medical history in combination with the use of appropriate imaging techniques such as a plain chest X-ray or CT scan. These imaging techniques can detect fibrothorax and pleural thickening that surround the lungs. The presence of a thickened peel with or without calcification are common features of fibrothorax when imaged. CT scans can more readily differentiate whether pleural thickening is due to extra fat deposition or true pleural thickening than X-rays.If a fibrothorax is severe, the thickening may restrict the lung on the affected side causing a loss of lung volume. Additionally, the mediastinum may be physically shifted toward the affected side. A reduction in the size of one side of the chest (hemithorax) on an X-ray or CT scan of the chest suggests chronic scarring. Signs of the underlying disease causing the fibrothorax are also occasionally seen on the X-ray. A CT scan may show features similar to those seen on a plain X-ray. Lung function testing typically demonstrates findings consistent with restrictive lung disease. Treatment
Non-surgical
Conservative non-surgical treatment of fibrothorax is generally done by treating its underlying cause and is reserved for milder cases.