FREE NEJM E-TOC    HOME   |   SUBSCRIBE   |   CURRENT ISSUE   |   PAST ISSUES   |   COLLECTIONS   |   Search Term  Advanced Search

Sign in | Get NEJM's E-Mail Table of Contents — Free | Subscribe

Previous Volume 344:495-500 February 15, 2001 Number 7 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

	Full Text PDF Purchase this article Add to Personal Archive Add to Citation Manager Notify a Friend E-mail When Cited PubMed Citation

Paul Ehrlich is credited with performing the first percutaneous liver biopsy in 1883 in Germany.¹ After Menghini reported a technique for "one-second needle biopsy of the liver" in 1958, the procedure became more widely used. The average duration of the intrahepatic phase of previous liver-biopsy techniques had been 6 to 15 minutes.²

Liver biopsy is usually the most specific test to assess the nature and severity of liver diseases. In addition, it can be useful in monitoring the efficacy of various treatments. There are currently several methods available for obtaining liver tissue: percutaneous biopsy, transjugular biopsy, laparoscopic biopsy, or fine-needle . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Percutaneous Liver Biopsy

Procedures

Contraindications

Complications of Percutaneous Liver Biopsy

Transjugular Liver Biopsy

Laparoscopic Liver Biopsy

Fine-Needle Aspiration Biopsy

Source Information

From the Liver Center, Division of Gastroenterology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston.

References

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Qayyum, A. (2009). MR Spectroscopy of the Liver: Principles and Clinical Applications. RadioGraphics 29: 1653-1664 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Vessal, S., Naidoo, S., Hodson, J., Stella, D. L., Gibson, R. N. (2009). Hepatic Vein Morphology: A New Sonographic Diagnostic Parameter in the Investigation of Cirrhosis?. J Ultrasound Med 28: 1219-1227 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Song, H.-P., Yu, M., Zhang, M., Han, Z.-H., Zhang, H.-B., Zhu, T., Zhou, X.-D. (2009). Diagnosis of Active Hemorrhage From the Liver With Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography After Percutaneous Transhepatic Angioplasty and Stent Placement for Budd-Chiari Syndrome. J Ultrasound Med 28: 955-958 [Full Text]  
• Taouli, B., Ehman, R. L., Reeder, S. B. (2009). Advanced MRI Methods for Assessment of Chronic Liver Disease. Am. J. Roentgenol. 193: 14-27 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• MacLaren, R. (2009). Management of Cirrhosis and Associated Complications. Journal of Pharmacy Practice 22: 290-309 [Abstract]  
• Ferral, H., Garza-Berlanga, A. E., Patel, N. H. (2009). Complications of nonvascular interventions and their management: case-based review.. Am. J. Roentgenol. 192: S63-S77 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Ferral, H., Garza-Berlanga, A. E., Patel, N. H. (2009). Complications of nonvascular interventions and their management: self-assessment module.. Am. J. Roentgenol. 192: S78-S82 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Vanderschaeghe, D., Laroy, W., Sablon, E., Halfon, P., Van Hecke, A., Delanghe, J., Callewaert, N. (2009). GlycoFibroTest Is a Highly Performant Liver Fibrosis Biomarker Derived from DNA Sequencer-based Serum Protein Glycomics. Mol. Cell. Proteomics 8: 986-994 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Vizzutti, F., Arena, U., Marra, F., Pinzani, M. (2009). Elastography for the non-invasive assessment of liver disease: limitations and future developments. Gut 58: 157-160 [Full Text]  
• Manco, M, Bedogni, G, Marcellini, M, Devito, R, Ciampalini, P, Sartorelli, M R, Comparcola, D, Piemonte, F, Nobili, V (2008). Waist circumference correlates with liver fibrosis in children with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Gut 57: 1283-1287 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Lambert, J., Halfon, P., Penaranda, G., Bedossa, P., Cacoub, P., Carrat, F. (2008). How to Measure the Diagnostic Accuracy of Noninvasive Liver Fibrosis Indices: The Area Under the ROC Curve Revisited. Clin. Chem. 54: 1372-1378 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Guido, M., Bortolotti, F. (2008). Chronic viral hepatitis in children: any role for the pathologist?. Gut 57: 873-877 [Full Text]  
• Friedrich-Rust, M., Koch, C., Rentzsch, A., Sarrazin, C., Schwarz, P., Herrmann, E., Lindinger, A., Sarrazin, U., Poynard, T., Schafers, H.-J., Zeuzem, S., Abdul-Khaliq, H. (2008). Noninvasive assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with Fontan circulation using transient elastography and biochemical fibrosis markers. J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. 135: 560-567 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Berends, M. A. M., van Oijen, M. G. H., Snoek, J., van de Kerkhof, P. C. M., Drenth, J. P. H., Han van Krieken, J., de Jong, E. M. G. J. (2007). Reliability of the Roenigk Classification of Liver Damage After Methotrexate Treatment for Psoriasis: A Clinicopathologic Study of 160 Liver Biopsy Specimens. Arch Dermatol 143: 1515-1519 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Bugeac, N., Pacht, A., Mandel, H., Iancu, T., Tamir, A., Srugo, I., Shaoul, R. (2007). The significance of isolated elevation of serum aminotransferases in infants and young children. Arch. Dis. Child. 92: 1109-1112 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Huwart, L., Sempoux, C., Salameh, N., Jamart, J., Annet, L., Sinkus, R., Peeters, F., ter Beek, L. C., Horsmans, Y., Van Beers, B. E. (2007). Liver Fibrosis: Noninvasive Assessment with MR Elastography versus Aspartate Aminotransferase to-Platelet Ratio Index. Radiology 245: 458-466 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Fraquelli, M., Rigamonti, C., Casazza, G., Conte, D., Donato, M. F., Ronchi, G., Colombo, M. (2007). Reproducibility of transient elastography in the evaluation of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease. Gut 56: 968-973 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Friedrich-Rust, M., Ong, M.-F., Herrmann, E., Dries, V., Samaras, P., Zeuzem, S., Sarrazin, C. (2007). Real-Time Elastography for Noninvasive Assessment of Liver Fibrosis in Chronic Viral Hepatitis. Am. J. Roentgenol. 188: 758-764 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Cholongitas, E, Quaglia, A, Samonakis, D, Senzolo, M, Triantos, C, Patch, D, Leandro, G, Dhillon, A P, Burroughs, A K (2006). Transjugular liver biopsy: how good is it for accurate histological interpretation?. Gut 55: 1789-1794 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Rouviere, O., Yin, M., Dresner, M. A., Rossman, P. J., Burgart, L. J., Fidler, J. L., Ehman, R. L. (2006). MR Elastography of the Liver: Preliminary Results.. Radiology 240: 440-448 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Standish, R A, Cholongitas, E, Dhillon, A, Burroughs, A K, Dhillon, A P (2006). An appraisal of the histopathological assessment of liver fibrosis.. Gut 55: 569-578 [Full Text]  
• Foucher, J, Chanteloup, E, Vergniol, J, Castera, L, Le Bail, B, Adhoute, X, Bertet, J, Couzigou, P, de Ledinghen, V (2006). Diagnosis of cirrhosis by transient elastography (FibroScan): a prospective study. Gut 55: 403-408 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Park, H. S., Lee, S. H., Kim, Y. I., Lee, J. S., Lim, M. K., Park, J.-W., Lee, J. H., Kim, C.-M. (2006). Postbiopsy Arterioportal Fistula in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Clinical Significance in Transarterial Chemoembolization. Am. J. Roentgenol. 186: 556-561 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Hussain, H. K., Chenevert, T. L., Londy, F. J., Gulani, V., Swanson, S. D., McKenna, B. J., Appelman, H. D., Adusumilli, S., Greenson, J. K., Conjeevaram, H. S. (2005). Hepatic Fat Fraction: MR Imaging for Quantitative Measurement and Display--Early Experience. Radiology 237: 1048-1055 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Adams, L. A., Bulsara, M., Rossi, E., DeBoer, B., Speers, D., George, J., Kench, J., Farrell, G., McCaughan, G. W., Jeffrey, G. P. (2005). Hepascore: An Accurate Validated Predictor of Liver Fibrosis in Chronic Hepatitis C Infection. Clin. Chem. 51: 1867-1873 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Song, J., da Costa, K. A., Fischer, L. M., Kohlmeier, M., Kwock, L., Wang, S., Zeisel, S. H. (2005). Polymorphism of the PEMT gene and susceptibility to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). FASEB J. 19: 1266-1271 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Szczepaniak, L. S., Nurenberg, P., Leonard, D., Browning, J. D., Reingold, J. S., Grundy, S., Hobbs, H. H., Dobbins, R. L. (2005). Magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure hepatic triglyceride content: prevalence of hepatic steatosis in the general population. Am. J. Physiol. Endocrinol. Metab. 288: E462-E468 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Poynard, T., Munteanu, M., Imbert-Bismut, F., Charlotte, F., Thabut, D., Le Calvez, S., Messous, D., Thibault, V., Benhamou, Y., Moussalli, J., Ratziu, V. (2004). Prospective Analysis of Discordant Results between Biochemical Markers and Biopsy in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C. Clin. Chem. 50: 1344-1355 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Chou, R., Clark, E. C., Helfand, M. (2004). Screening for Hepatitis C Virus Infection: A Review of the Evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. ANN INTERN MED 140: 465-479 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Peffault de Latour, R., Levy, V., Asselah, T., Marcellin, P., Scieux, C., Ades, L., Traineau, R., Devergie, A., Ribaud, P., Esperou, H., Gluckman, E., Valla, D., Socie, G. (2004). Long-term outcome of hepatitis C infection after bone marrow transplantation. Blood 103: 1618-1624 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Clark, J. M., Diehl, A. M. (2003). Diagnosis of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease--Reply. JAMA 290: 1578-1578 [Full Text]  
• Corbin, I R, Buist, R, Peeling, J, Zhang, M, Uhanova, J, Minuk, G Y (2003). Hepatic 31P MRS in rat models of chronic liver disease: assessing the extent and progression of disease. Gut 52: 1046-1053 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Clark, J. M., Diehl, A. M. (2003). Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: An Underrecognized Cause of Cryptogenic Cirrhosis. JAMA 289: 3000-3004 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Habdank, K., Restrepo, R., Ng, V., Connolly, B. L., Temple, M. J., Amaral, J., Chait, P. G. (2003). Combined Sonographic and Fluoroscopic Guidance During Transjugular Hepatic Biopsies Performed in Children: A Retrospective Study of 74 Biopsies. Am. J. Roentgenol. 180: 1393-1398 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Andres, E., Locatelli, F., Pflumio, F., Marcellin, L. (2001). Liver biopsy is not useful in the diagnosis of adult Still's disease. QJM 94: 568-569 [Full Text]  
• Diaz, L. K., Teruya, J., Spinzi, G., Terruzzi, V., Minoli, G., Bruzzi, J. F., O'Connell, M., Murray, J. G. (2001). Liver Biopsy. NEJM 344: 2030-2030 [Full Text]