title: Comparison of image-guided nonfocal hepatic biopsies performed by physicians and nurse midlevel providers.
abstract: Image-guided hepatic biopsies have been performed safely and accurately for a number of years. The advantages of sonographic or CT guidance in avoiding major vital structures, such as large vessels, the gallbladder, or pleura, have been confirmed many times. However, the safety and accuracy of certified nurse practitioners' performing these biopsies have not been described. The authors describe a retrospective review of 418 image-guided hepatic biopsies that demonstrated no significant difference in accuracy or complication rates between biopsies performed by certified nurse practitioners and those performed by radiologists in a single-institution, multihospital academic setting. Appropriately trained advanced practice providers can perform image-guided hepatic biopsies safely and accurately.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, The Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia. Electronic address: fred.murphy@emoryhealthcare.org.
authors.forename: Frederick B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, The Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Walls
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, The Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Srini
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tridandapani
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, The Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Oluwayemisi
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ibraheem
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, The Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bowen
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, The Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bressler
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, The Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Kei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, The Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Small
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002983:Clinical Competence; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D061705:Image-Guided Biopsy / Q000379:methods*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009722:Nurse Practitioners; D010820:Physicians; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States
keywords: Liver diseases; image-guided hepatic biopsies; nurse practitioners; safety