Liver function tests.

This article forms part of our 'Tests and results' series for 2011 which aims to provide information about common tests that general practitioners order regularly. It considers areas such as indications, what to tell the patient, what the test can and cannot tell you, and interpretation of results. Liver function tests (LFTs) are a panel of blood markers (Table 1) used to assess and monitor several diseases. However, they are not all true tests of liver function and abnormalities may not reflect liver disease.