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Liver Biopsy

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Percutaneous Image-Guided Biopsy

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Abstract

Image-guided liver biopsy is among the most common procedures performed by the interventional radiologist. Non-focal liver biopsy is the gold standard for the diagnosis and staging of diffuse parenchymal disease and may be performed using direct percutaneous or transjugular approaches. Sonography is the mainstay of imaging guidance for direct percutaneous non-focal liver biopsy. Given the slightly inferior quality of specimens obtained by the transjugular liver biopsy, it is generally reserved for specific circumstances, including coagulopathy, which may otherwise increase the risk of direct percutaneous technique, as well as when hepatic venous pressure gradient measurements are required. When focal hepatic lesions are encountered which do not demonstrate definite benign imaging features, image-guided biopsy can be effective in establishing a diagnosis and may be guided by US, CT, or MRI. In addition, although a majority of endobiliary work is performed by gastroenterologists, endobiliary biopsy via percutaneous transhepatic tracts may be an important means of evaluating biliary strictures when the endoscopic route is impossible.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Abdominal Imaging and Intervention, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, White-270, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Ashraf Thabet MD & Debra A. Gervais MD

Authors
  1. Ashraf Thabet MD
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  2. Debra A. Gervais MD
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Correspondence to Debra A. Gervais MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Vascular & Interventional Radiol., University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA

    Kamran Ahrar

  2. Department of Diagnostic Radiology Section of Interventional Radiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA

    Sanjay Gupta

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Thabet, A., Gervais, D.A. (2014). Liver Biopsy. In: Ahrar, K., Gupta, S. (eds) Percutaneous Image-Guided Biopsy. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8217-8_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8217-8_13

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