preview

Liver Biopsy Essay

Decent Essays

Liver biopsy is a technique used to determine the degree of liver diseases.1 It is done when liver blood tests are abnormal and can be performed by using a small needle to remove a minute part of the liver tissue.1This is then viewed with the aid of a microscope to find out the cause of the disease and the length of scarring of the liver. It can be helpful in examining the effectiveness of several treatments.1
TYPES OF LIVER BIOPSY
There are different ways liver biopsy can be performed. These include the fine-needle liver aspiration, transvenous biopsy, laparoscopic biopsy and percutaneous biopsy.3 Each of the different methods has advantages and disadvantages.3
Percutaneous Biopsy
This is the usual method, in which a liver tissue is taken by introducing a needle into the liver for a little period of time.1 The area to be injected is anesthetized and a syringe is inserted swiftly into and out of the liver.1 …show more content…

This helps to locate the position of tumour and target the needle’s insertion into the liver under direct supervision.2 This method is allied with small risk of seeding of the needle tract with cancerous cells and it is commonly a harmless method, even in patients with haemangioma cyst.1
Laparoscopic Biopsy
This is carried out at the point a patient is about to get an abdominal surgery. This allows the surgeon to examine the liver and take tissue sample as needed.3
Transvenous Biopsy
An interventional radiologist may carry out Transvenous biopsy. 1This normally occurs when the patient has a major problem with clotting of the blood. 1To do this; a minute tube is introduced into the neck and radiologically led into the hepatic vein, which makes the liver dry.1A tiny biopsy syringe is then introduced via the tube and straight into the liver to get a sample of tissue.

Get Access