Your doctor can see how well your liver is working by testing your blood. The most common tests that are used to check how well your liver is working and your biliary system (the tubes that lead out of the liver) are called Liver Function Tests (LFT's). When your liver is working well, the levels are low. When your liver is not working as well as it should, they can become much higher. These substances include chemicals that your liver uses to do its work (called liver enzymes) and bilirubin (pronounced "billy-ru-bin"). Albumin (pronounced "al-byoo-men") is a protein made by the liver. Your doctor may also order a liver panel, which generally includes the following tests:

ALT/SGPT: Alanine Aminotransferase
AST/SGOT: Aspartate Aminostransferase
AlkP: Alkaline Phosphatase
TBil: Total Bilirubin
DBil: Direct Bilirubin