The liver is located in the right upper portion of the abdominal cavity just beneath the rib cage. The liver has many functions that are vital to life. Some of the important functions of the liver are:
Liver function tests are some of the most commonly performed blood tests. The most sensitive and widely used liver enzymes are Aminotransferases. They include aspartate aminotransferase (AST or SGOT) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT or SGPT). These enzymes are normally predominately contained within the liver cells and to a lesser degree in the muscle cells.
We shall however be focusing on Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT). ALT is also known as Serum Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase (SGPT) is normally found largely in the liver; that is not to say that it is exclusively located in the liver but that is where it is most concentrated. It is released into the bloodstream as the result of liver injury. Thus it serves as a fairly specific indicator of liver status.
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