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Surgery.com / Cancer / Liver Biopsy

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Last updated: 11/24/2009

Morbidity/Mortality

Post-biopsy complications that require hospitalization occur in approximately 1–3% of cases. Moderate pain is reported by 20% of patients, and 3% report pain severe enough to warrant intravenous pain relief. The mortality rate is approximately one...

in 10,000. In about 0.4% of cases, a patient with liver cancer will develop a fatal hemorrhage from a percutaneous biopsy. These fatalities result because some liver tumors are supplied with a large number of blood vessels and thus may bleed excessively.


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In a traditional liver biopsy, access to the liver is gained through an incision in the abdomen (A).The liver is exposed (B). A wedge-shaped section is cut into the liver and removed (C).The liver incision is stitched (D).The abdominal incision is then repaired (E). (Illustration by GGS Inc.) In a traditional liver biopsy, access to the liver is gained through an incision in the abdomen (A).The liver is exposed (B). A wedge-shaped section is cut into the liver and removed (C).The liver incision is stitched (D).The abdominal incision is then repaired (E). (Illustration by GGS Inc.)




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Definition

A liver biopsy is a medical procedure performed to obtain a small piece of liver tissue for diagnostic testing. Liver biopsies are sometimes called percutaneous liver biopsies, because the tissue sample is obtained by going through the patient's skin.

Purpose

A liver biopsy is usually done to diagnose a tumor, or to evaluate the extent of damage that has occurred to the liver because of chronic disease. Biopsies are often performed to identify abnormalities in liver tissues after imaging studies have failed to yield clear results.


From http://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz/Atoz/common/standard/transform.jsp?requestURI=/healthatoz/Atoz/ency/liver_biopsy.jsp

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