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Percutaneous Liver Biopsy



 Submitted by Nic on August 1, 2011
When a person seems to be suffering from liver problems that are difficult to diagnose through imaging tests, or blood tests, they may be asked to go in for a liver biopsy, in which a sample of the liver tissue is obtained and tested in a lab. One of the most common ways to obtain specimen from the liver is by performing a percutaneous liver biopsy.

What is a percutaneous liver biopsy?

In the percutaneous liver biopsy procedure, a small incision is made on the patient’s side, through which a special needle, which is of the same diameter as the refill of a pen is passed through the abdominal skin and then, into the liver. Before making the incisions to carry out the percutaneous liver biopsy, the health care provider will use a local anesthesia which causes the area to get numb, in order to minimize the pain that is felt during the procedure.

When the percutaneous liver biopsy is being conducted, the patient is required to lie on the back, with the right hand resting above the head. The local anesthesia is applied on to the site where the needle will be inserted. While the needle is inserted and quickly withdrawn, with the liver sample, patients are required to exhale and then hold their breath. At times, the doctor may need to perform the percutaneous liver biopsy a couple of times, which will require multiple insertions of the needle. In order to reduce the risks of sticking the biopsy needles into other organs of the body, some people use an ultrasound imaging technique, while carrying out the percutaneous liver biopsy; others locate the liver just by tapping the patient’s abdomen. Hence, the right percutaneous liver biopsy positioning is important till the entire procedure is complete.

Percutaneous liver biopsy complications

Just like in the case of any other medical procedure, there are certain risks that have been associated with the percutaneous liver biopsy technique. Around 20% of all patients going through this procedure could experience pain at the biopsy site. Hemorrhage or excessive bleeding can also be seen in some cases. Other percutaneous liver biopsy complications that people usually worry about are puncture of other organs, spreading of cancer cells and infections.

After the procedure, it is essential for all patients to follow the required percutaneous liver biopsy guidelines on recovery. This means that the patient needs to lie down in a certain position for at least 2 hours, during which time, the nurse will keep tabs on blood pressure, pulse and breathing. Activity may also be a bit restricted for a day or two.

Patients are strongly urged to set up an appointment with their doctor beforehand and get as much percutaneous liver biopsy information as possible, so that any queries they may have can be addressed.
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