Treatments for symptoms of ESLD

Ultimately the only answer for decompensated cirrhosis is a liver transplant. See who is eligible for a liver transplant. However, the symptoms can sometimes be treated individually.

Encephalopathy

Lactulose (a sweet tasting laxative) is usually prescribed to help clear the colon and prevent the absorption of toxins. Antibiotics are also sometimes used to treat the condition. Reducing your protein intake may also be advised.
Ascites and oedema

Drainage to remove excess fluid can prove successful. Diuretics (used to increase your urine output) and a low salt diet are generally recommended.

Portal hypertension and variceal bleeding

• Banding may be performed if the bleeding is from oesophageal varices It is a hospital procedure and involves sucking up some of the oesophageal vessels and placing a rubber band around them. Tissue caught in the band dies and scars, preventing further bleeding. This procedure may need to be performed a few times to eradicate all the varices.
• Sclerotherapy is also an option. It involves an injection of fluid into or around the varices: this causes them to clot and prevent further bleeding.
• Oral medications may also be used to treat the bleeding some work by forcing the blood vessels to constrict and decrease the amount of blood flow to certain areas of the body; others work by directly reducing blood flow to the gut and thus reduce blood flow through the liver (e.g. beta blockers).
• TIPS (transjugular intra-hepatic portal-systemic shunt) is another option to relieve pressure in varices (swollen blood vessels). This non-surgical procedure works by diverting blood away from an area, easing the pressure on that area and therefore decreasing the likelihood of further bleeding. Because this is a non-surgical procedure (the metal tube used to divert blood is inserted through a catheter), it does not affect a subsequent liver transplant.
• Shunt surgery requires surgery to create the link necessary to divert blood flow. This can make subsequent liver transplantation more difficult.