Skip to main content
PMC home page
Archives of Disease in Childhood logoLink to Archives of Disease in Childhood
. 1987 Sep;62(9):901–904. doi: 10.1136/adc.62.9.901

Morbidity after percutaneous liver biopsy.

S Lichtman 1, C Guzman 1, D Moore 1, J L Weber 1, E A Roberts 1
PMCID: PMC1778601  PMID: 3674945

Abstract

The safety of percutaneous liver biopsy with a 1.2 mm Menghini needle in infants aged one year or less was investigated. One hundred and eighty four procedures performed from 1975 to 1985 were reviewed. There were no deaths or major complications within 48 hours associated with the procedure. In five instances specific complications occurred: a drop in haemoglobin concentration (three), transient hypotension (one), and haematoma at the biopsy site (one). The result of liver biopsy was diagnostic in 83% of cases, compatible with unspecified metabolic disease in 8%, and normal or not diagnostic in 9%. This study suggests that percutaneous liver biopsy can be performed with relative safety in small infants if coagulation is normal and there are no major contraindications, and the results yield important diagnostic information which cannot be obtained using less invasive procedures.

Full text

PDF
901

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BRUTON O. C., METZGER J. F., SPRINZ H. Experience with needle biopsy of the liver in infants and children. Pediatrics. 1955 Dec;16(6):836–841. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Balistreri W. F. Neonatal cholestasis. J Pediatr. 1985 Feb;106(2):171–184. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(85)80282-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Brough A. J., Bernstein J. Conjugated hyperbilirubinemia in early infancy. A reassessment of liver biopsy. Hum Pathol. 1974 Sep;5(5):507–516. doi: 10.1016/s0046-8177(74)80003-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Conn H. O. Liver biopsy in extrahepatic biliary obstruction and in other "contraindicated" disorders. Gastroenterology. 1975 Apr;68(4 Pt 1):817–821. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Ewe K. Bleeding after liver biopsy does not correlate with indices of peripheral coagulation. Dig Dis Sci. 1981 May;26(5):388–393. doi: 10.1007/BF01313579. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gazzard B. G., Henderson J. M., Williams R. The use of fresh frozen plasma or a concentrate of factor IX as replacement therapy before liver biopsy. Gut. 1975 Aug;16(8):621–625. doi: 10.1136/gut.16.8.621. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. HONG R., SCHUBERT W. K. Menghini needle biopsy of the liver. Am J Dis Child. 1960 Jul;100:42–46. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1960.04020040044009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. KAYE R., KOOP C. E., WAGNER B. M., PICOU D., YAKOVAC W. C. Needle biopsy of the liver, an aid in the differential diagnosis of prolonged jaundice in infancy. AMA J Dis Child. 1959 Dec;98:699–709. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Lee S. P., Tasman-Jones C., Wattie W. J. Traumatic hemobilia: a complication of percutaneous liver biopsy. Gastroenterology. 1977 May;72(5 Pt 1):941–944. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Lindner H. Grenzen und Gefahren der perkutanen Leberbiopsie mit der Menghini-Nadel. Erfahrungen bei 80,000 Leberbiopsien. Dtsch Med Wochenschr. 1967 Sep 29;92(39):1751–1757. doi: 10.1055/s-0028-1106036. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Morris J. S., Gallo G. A., Scheuer P. J., Sherlock S. Percutaneous liver biopsy in patients with large bile duct obstruction. Gastroenterology. 1975 Apr;68(4 Pt 1):750–754. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. PORTER M., RILEY H. D., Jr, GRAHAM H. NEEDLE BIOPSY OF THE LIVER IN INFANTS AND CHILDREN. J Pediatr. 1964 Aug;65:176–188. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(64)80518-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Perrault J., McGill D. B., Ott B. J., Taylor W. F. Liver biopsy: complications in 1000 inpatients and outpatients. Gastroenterology. 1978 Jan;74(1):103–106. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Piccinino F., Sagnelli E., Pasquale G., Giusti G. Complications following percutaneous liver biopsy. A multicentre retrospective study on 68,276 biopsies. J Hepatol. 1986;2(2):165–173. doi: 10.1016/s0168-8278(86)80075-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Raines D. R., Van Heertum R. L., Johnson L. F. Intrahepatic hematoma: a complication of percutaneous liver biopsy. Gastroenterology. 1974 Aug;67(2):284–289. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. SHERLOCK S. Needle biopsy of the liver: a review. J Clin Pathol. 1962 Jul;15:291–304. doi: 10.1136/jcp.15.4.291. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Walker W. A., Krivit W., Sharp H. L. Needle biopsy of the liver in infancy and childhood. A safe diagnostic aid in liver disease. Pediatrics. 1967 Dec;40(6):946–950. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Westaby D., MacDougall B. R., Williams R. Liver biopsy as a day-case procedure: selection and complications in 200 consecutive patients. Br Med J. 1980 Nov 15;281(6251):1331–1332. doi: 10.1136/bmj.281.6251.1331. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. ZAMCHECK N., KLAUSENSTOCK O. Liver biopsy. II. The risk of needle biopsy. N Engl J Med. 1953 Dec 24;249(26):1062–concl. doi: 10.1056/NEJM195312242492605. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Archives of Disease in Childhood are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES