How does a liver biopsy work?

The liver biopsy is performed in the supine position. You may be given a sedative before the biopsy. The liver is located under the right costal arch.

This area will be adequately disinfected and the skin, subcutaneous fatty tissue and muscles will be sufficiently numbed with a local anesthetic so that you will feel little of the liver biopsy. The liver biopsy is performed with the help of an ultrasound machine. You will be asked to hold your breath so that the liver slides further down.

A hollow needle will remove a small cylinder of tissue from the liver during this time. This only takes about 2-3 seconds. After that you may continue to breathe normally.

Afterwards a sterile plaster bandage is applied and you have to lie on a sandbag on the right side for a few hours to compress the puncture site. Your pulse and blood pressure will be checked at regular intervals. Also a check of your blood count will be done again. If everything went smoothly, you will be able to eat again soon after the liver biopsy.

Evaluation of the tissue sample

The tissue cylinder is analyzed and evaluated by a pathologist under a microscope. Often the sample is still processed with special staining techniques and immunological examination methods, so that an even more precise result can be obtained. The result is usually available after 3-5 days. Your treating physician will then discuss the result with you.It usually takes 3-5 days for the pathologist to analyze the tissue sample. With special examination techniques the result can take a little longer.

What are the risks of a liver biopsy?

A liver biopsy is a small and generally very low-risk procedure. Since the liver is an organ with a very good blood supply, it can lead to secondary bleeding and hematomas. Very rarely, surgical hemostasis is necessary or the administration of foreign blood (blood transfusions).

In rare cases, other organs such as the lungs, intestines or gall bladder may be damaged. Infections of the skin, chest wall or peritoneum (peritonitis) are also possible in rare cases. If the obtained tissue cylinder is not sufficient, it may be necessary to perform another liver biopsy. A liver biopsy should not be performed in cases of large amounts of abdominal fluid (ascites), severe blood clotting disorders, severe accumulation of bile in the liver (cholestasis), inflammation of the bile ducts (cholangitis) to minimize the possible risks.