Liver Diseases

Liver disease is any condition that damages the liver and prevents it from functioning well. It can be caused by an infection, abnormalities with the immune system, cancer or growths.

Symptoms of liver disease in children can vary but may include swelling, bruising, changes in stool or urine color, itching, jaundice, or yellowing of the skin or tissue.

A pediatric hepatologist is the specialist who treats liver conditions in children. At Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, our dedicated hepatologists combine the latest technology and research with a caring, child-friendly approach, making us a top choice for children with liver disease.

Our board-certified, pediatric-trained hepatologists care for children from birth to age 18 and work together to provide integrated, multispecialty care for kids with common and complex medical conditions.

What do we treat?

At Children’s, we treat a wide range of liver conditions, including:

• Acute liver failure
• Alagille syndrome
• Autoimmune hepatitis
• Biliary tract disease (biliary atresia)
• Chronic viral hepatitis
• Cystic fibrosis-associated liver disease
• Elevated liver enzymes (ALT and AST)
• Liver transplant evaluation and management
• Liver tumors
• Neonatal cholestasis and other childhood liver diseases
• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
• Portal hypertension
• Primary sclerosing cholangitis
• Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC)
• Prolonged neonatal jaundice
• Rare metabolic diseases
• Wilson’s disease

Our team of pediatric-trained hepatologists evaluates, diagnoses and treats children with liver disease. Through Children’s Physician Group, our hepatology practice offers convenient outpatient clinics throughout metro Atlanta.

Our team also participates in the following programs and clinics:

• NAFLD Clinic: This clinic is dedicated to treating children with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common liver disease in children.
• Liver Transplant Program: One of the largest pediatric liver transplant programs in the U.S., we have wait times and patient survival rates that are better than the national average.
• Liver Tumor Program: One of the only programs in the Southeast with a coordinated, integrated team of pediatric oncologists, transplant surgeons, general surgeons, radiologists and pathologists.
• Strong4Life Clinic: A multifaceted program for obese and overweight kids and their families.

Pediatric hepatologists

• Nitika A. Gupta, MD, Clinical Director, Hepatology; Medical Director, Liver Transplant Program; Director, Adolescent Transplant Program
• Chrissy Lopez, MD
• Dellys M. Soler Rodriguez, MD, Program Director, Transplant Hepatology
• Rene Romero Jr., MD, Joseph H. Moss Chair, Pediatric Hepatology and Liver Transplant; Director, Abdominal Transplant
• Miriam Vos, MD, MS

Advanced practice providers

• Lauren Mullen, CPNP, Intestinal Rehabilitation
• Sheetal Sethi, DNP, Liver Transplant
• Christine Rambo-Martin, CPNP, Liver Transplant

Registered dietitians

• Jennifer Buechner, RND
• Caitlin Flatley MS, RD, LD
• Jillian Mingle, RND
• Gabriela Young, RND

Hepatology clinics are held at the Center for Advanced Pediatrics and Children's at Satellite Boulevard. Intestinal rehabilitation and pre- and post-transplant clinics as well as surgical procedures are at Arthur M. Blank Hospital.  

Children's at Satellite Boulevard
2660 Satellite Blvd.
Duluth, GA 30096-5803

Center for Advanced Pediatrics
2174 North Druid Hills Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30329

Arthur M. Blank Hospital
2220 North Druid Hills Road, NE
Atlanta, GA 30329