- Patients with clinical or laboratory evidence of liver disease should be evaluated in conjunction with the gastrointestinal (GI) consult service for the cause of the liver disease, its clinical severity, and the degree of portal hypertension; patients will be excluded if they are found to have fulminant liver failure, cirrhosis of the liver with evidence of portal hypertension, bridging fibrosis, alcoholic hepatitis, esophageal varices, a history of bleeding esophageal varices, hepatic encephalopathy, refractory ascites related to portal hypertension, bacterial or fungal liver abscess, chronic viral hepatitis with total serum bilirubin > 3mg/dl, or actively symptomatic biliary disease