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DM Superspecialty · Book Guide

Books for DM Hepatology.

The NMC curriculum list, reproduced exactly, plus the editions residents actually read in 2026 — with journals, a year-wise reading plan, and the references you will need for your thesis and exit practical.

10Titles on the NMC list
9Current-edition picks
1Journals listed
3 yearsReading plan included
Official list

Books the NMC curriculum lists for DM Hepatology

These 10 titles are reproduced as they appear in the National Medical Commission curriculum document for Hepatology — spelling and abbreviations included. Treat it as the scope anchor, not as a shopping list.

  1. Gastrointestinal Diseases. Sleisinger & Fordtran
  2. Schiff's Diseases of Liver
  3. Zakim and Boyer's Hepatology
  4. Sherlock's Diseases of liver and Biliary system
  5. Oxford Textbook of Hepatology
  6. Endoscopy by Sivak
  7. Gastroenterology Clinics of North America (series)
  8. Endoscopy Clinics of North America (series)
  9. Seminars in Liver Diseases (series)
  10. Clinics in Liver Diseases (series)
Read this before you buy. Curriculum documents are revised infrequently, so several entries name editions that are now years out of date and a few titles are out of print. Use the list to understand what you are expected to have covered, then buy the current edition from the next section.

Source: National Medical Commission curriculum document for Hepatology

What residents actually use

Current editions, and what each one is for

The books most residents actually buy. These are the editions in circulation now, with a note on whether each is something you read through, keep as a reference, or open only for the viva.

  1. Sherlock's Diseases of the Liver and Biliary SystemDooley, Lok, Garcia-Tsao, Pinzani (eds) · 13th edition · core referenceThe most-read hepatology text in Indian DM programmes and listed by NMC.
  2. Zakim and Boyer's Hepatology: A Textbook of Liver DiseaseSanyal, Boyer, Lindor, Terrault (eds) · 8th edition · core referenceThe NMC-listed comprehensive text; strong on pathophysiology and thesis background.
  3. Schiff's Diseases of the LiverMaddrey, Schiff, Sorrell (eds) · 12th edition · referenceListed by NMC; complementary depth on cholestatic and metabolic liver disease.
  4. Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver DiseaseFeldman, Friedman, Brandt (eds) · 11th edition · allied referenceThe first entry on the NMC list; needed for the GI competencies within DM Hepatology.
  5. Transplantation of the LiverBusuttil, Klintmalm (eds) · 3rd edition · transplant referenceLiver transplant evaluation and post-transplant care are core to Indian DM Hepatology practice.
  6. MacSween's Pathology of the LiverBurt, Ferrell, Hübscher (eds) · 8th edition · hepatopathologyFor liver biopsy interpretation, a standard practical station.
  7. EASL and AASLD Clinical Practice Guidelines (current)European Association for the Study of the Liver / American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases · guideline setGuidelines on hepatitis B and C, HCC, ACLF and decompensated cirrhosis are examined directly.
  8. APASL Guidelines and the Baveno VII ConsensusAsian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver / Baveno Faculty · guideline setAPASL ACLF criteria and Baveno VII portal hypertension definitions are the Asian standards Indian examiners expect.
  9. Practical Gastrointestinal Endoscopy / Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (Sivak)Cotton, Williams et al. / Sivak · endoscopy manualVariceal banding and endoscopic haemostasis are procedural requirements; Sivak appears on the NMC list.
Journals

Journals that matter in Hepatology

Journal club and the recent-advances parts of the theory paper come from here. You do not need all of them — follow one Indian and two international titles properly.

3-5 International and 02 national journals (indexed)
Reading plan

What to read, and when

Three years of superspecialty training goes faster than it sounds, and most of it is spent on the floor. The order below is what works for most DM Hepatology residents.

Year 1

Build the base

Read Sherlock's cover to cover during the ward and OPD postings, with the liver chapters of Sleisenger for the GI competencies. Learn ascitic tap, liver biopsy and diagnostic endoscopy; register the thesis protocol.

Year 2

Go deep, collect thesis data

Move to Zakim and Boyer and Schiff for depth, add Busuttil and Klintmalm during the transplant posting, and read MacSween alongside weekly biopsy conferences. Work through EASL, AASLD, APASL and Baveno VII documents; collect thesis data.

Year 3

Revise, drill, submit

Second pass of Sherlock's plus systematic guideline revision, weekly biopsy-slide, imaging and endoscopy station drills, and structured long-case practice on decompensated cirrhosis and ACLF. Submit the thesis.

Thesis

References for your thesis

Protocol, methodology and reporting standards examiners expect you to have followed.

  • Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hepatology and the Indian Journal of Gastroenterology
  • Hepatology, Journal of Hepatology, Gut, Gastroenterology, Hepatology International
  • APASL ACLF Research Consortium (AARC) definitions and Baveno VII consensus for endpoint standardisation
  • ICMR National Ethical Guidelines (2017) and, for transplant studies, the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act/Rules
  • STROBE and CONSORT reporting checklists
Practical & viva

What the practical actually tests

Cases, spotters and stations that come up again and again in the exit exam.

  • Long case: decompensated cirrhosis, acute-on-chronic liver failure, chronic viral hepatitis or a liver transplant candidate/recipient
  • Short cases: hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, ascites, jaundice, chronic liver disease stigmata
  • Liver biopsy histology station with staging and grading systems
  • Endoscopy station: variceal grading, band ligation, portal hypertensive gastropathy
  • Imaging viva: ultrasound and Doppler of the portal system, triple-phase CT and MRI for HCC, elastography readings
  • Laboratory viva: liver function panels, autoimmune and metabolic workup, viral serology and molecular assays
  • Transplant viva: MELD/MELD-Na and Child-Pugh scoring, donor evaluation, immunosuppression, post-transplant complications
About the course

DM Hepatology in context

DM Hepatology is a three-year course after MD/DNB in General Medicine or Paediatrics, with DM Gastroenterology holders also eligible in some institutions. The NMC guidelines follow the standard PG pattern of four theory papers of 100 marks each plus clinical, practical and viva voce, and an accepted thesis is required to appear. The practical typically adds liver biopsy histology, endoscopy and cross-sectional imaging stations to the long and short cases.

Frequently asked

DM Hepatology books — questions

Which books does the NMC curriculum list for DM Hepatology?

The National Medical Commission curriculum for Hepatology lists 10 titles, beginning with Gastrointestinal Diseases. Sleisinger & Fordtran. The full list is reproduced on this page exactly as it is published.

Which single book should I start with in DM Hepatology?

Sherlock's Diseases of the Liver and Biliary System by Dooley, Lok, Garcia-Tsao, Pinzani (eds) is the usual anchor. The most-read hepatology text in Indian DM programmes and listed by NMC.

How is DM Hepatology different from the DNB or MD version?

DM Hepatology is a superspecialty course taken after a broad-specialty MD, MS or DNB, so the reading is narrower and deeper. The broad-specialty texts are assumed knowledge by the time you start.

Do I need to buy every book listed?

No. Most residents own two or three and use the department or library copy for the rest. That is exactly why printing selected chapters from a PDF works out cheaper than buying volumes you will open twice.

Can you print these books for me?

We print from the PDF you send us. Send the file on WhatsApp with your page count and whether you want colour, black and white or mixed, and we print, bind and deliver anywhere in India. We do not supply copyrighted book files.

How much does printing cost?

Black and white is 50 paise a page, colour is Rs 1 a page, and binding is Rs 40 per bound volume. A 400-page mixed set with binding usually works out around Rs 300 plus delivery.

Printing your DM Hepatology reading?

Send the PDF on WhatsApp — colour Rs 1/page, B&W 50p/page, binding Rs 40. Printed, bound and delivered anywhere in India.

Other superspecialties

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