Percutaneous Liver Biopsy: Reflections and Refinements

role of percutaneous liver biopsy

Morbidity after percutaneous liver biopsy.

The safety of percutaneous liver biopsy with a 1.2 mm Menghini needle in infants aged one year or less was investigated. One hundred and eighty four procedures performed from 1975 to 1985 were reviewed. There were no deaths or major complications within 48 hours associated with the procedure. In five instances specific complications occurred: a drop in haemoglobin concentration (three), transie...

Role of Percutaneous Liver Biopsy

We read the interesting study by Szymczak et al. (1) regarding the safety and effectiveness of a blind per-cutaneous liver biopsy, where they concluded that the failure rate and the risk of complications are low if indications and contraindications are carefully considered. Moreover, these authors emphasize how important it is that biopsies are performed by skilled and experienced operators. Th...

Hemoperitoneum after percutaneous liver biopsy

Percutaneous liver biopsy (PLB) is an in or out-patient procedure diffused in most hospitals. A particularely elevate number of biopsies in our area depends on endemic infection by hepatitis B and C viruses. Nowadays it is a very safe procedure, and the actual risk of bleeding is estimated to range between 0.04 and 0.16% in nonmalignant disease 1. Major bleeding generally requires a prompt surg...

Clinical Relevance of Transjugular Liver Biopsy in Comparison with Percutaneous and Laparoscopic Liver Biopsy

BACKGROUND Transjugular liver biopsy (TJLB) is frequently used to obtain liver specimens in high-risk patients. However, TJLB sample size possibly limits their clinical relevance. METHODS 102 patients that underwent TJLB were included. Clinical parameters and outcome of TJLB were analyzed. Control samples consisted of 112 minilaparoscopic liver biopsies (mLLBs) and 100 percutaneous liver biop...