title: LIVER BIOPSY: IMPORTANCE OF SPECIMEN SIZE IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND STAGING OF CHRONIC VIRAL HEPATITIS.
abstract: Liver biopsy is the gold standard method for the grading and staging of chronic viral hepatitis, but optimal biopsy specimen size remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of liver specimen (number of portal tracts) and to evaluate the impact of the number of portal tracts in the staging of chronic hepatitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  468 liver biopsies from consecutive patients with hepatitis C virus and hepatitis B virus infection from 2009 to 2010 were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The length of fragment was less than 10 mm in 43 cases (9.3%), between 10 and 14 mm in 114 (24.3%), and ≥ 15 mm in 311 (64.4%); of these, in 39 (8.3%) cases were ≥ 20 mm. The mean representation of portal tracts was 17.6 ± 2.1 (5-40); in specimens ≥ 15 mm the mean portal tract was 13.5 ± 4.7 and in cases ≤ 15 mm was 11.4 ± 5.0 (p = 0.002). Cases with less than 11 portal tracts were associated with F3, and cases with 11 or more portal tracts with F2 (p = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  this study demonstrated the good quality of liver biopsy and a relationship between the macroscopic size of the fragment and the number of portal tracts.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gabriela P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Coral
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: Aline Dal Pozzo
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Antunes
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Paula Almeida
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Serafini
authors.affiliation: Irmandade Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernanda B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Araujo
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: Angelo Alves de
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Mattos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000473:pathology; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000473:pathology*; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult