Liver biopsy: evolving role in the new millennium.
Since the origination of the liver biopsy, the technique has evolved into an essential diagnostic tool, with very few complications. In addition to the percutaneous approach, a liver biopsy can also be obtained via transjugular, laparoscopic, or intraoperative approach. While in the early 1960s and 1970s the liver biopsy was used for making a diagnosis in cases of clinically suspected medical liver disease, today it is more often performed to assess disease prognosis and evaluate therapeutic strategies. As a result, indications for the liver biopsy have evolved over the past 2 decades. However with advances in serologic diagnosis of viral/autoimmune hepatitis and laboratory tests for genetic disorders, the role of liver biopsy in certain clinical settings is currently debated. This review discusses the technique, indications, contraindications, and the changing role of liver biopsy in some of the common disorders and the associated controversies.
Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Digestive Diseases and Liver Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
Harinath
H
Sheela
Srinivas
S
Seela
Cary
C
Caldwell
James L
JL
Boyer
Dhanpat
D
Jain
D001706:Biopsy / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity