View Full Version : Should you get a liver biopsy?


Menally-Ill
02-17-2003, 01:54 PM
Once again, this is only the summary abstract of this science journal article.

Go to the link, to read more.

A biopsy is a very invasive procedure that needs to be done with expert care. I know of people who've had them with great ease, and other who ended up in medical emergency. Usually these are due to incompetence of the technicisn.

The benefits and risks MUST be weighed carefully!

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Liver Biopsy: When, How, by Whom, and Where?
Douglas B McGill MD
200 First Steet SW, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.
Current Gastroenterology Reports 2001 3:19-23

Abstract

Liver biopsy remains an important diagnostic tool in the management
of liver disease. Complications, though infrequent, are potentially
disastrous. Risks and discomfort can be minimized with good
technique, although prospective data to prove the superiority of
one method over another are often lacking. Image direction is
preferred in all cases, as is a transjugular approach when bleeding
risks are judged to be high. Bleeding is essentially a random event.
Outpatient liver biopsy is appropriate in almost every instance if
immediate hospitalization facilities are available. It should be
more widely practiced. Liver biopsies should only be done if, after
thoughtful assessment, benefits are thought to exceed risks.

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The rest of this article can be found at:
http://www.hepcvets.com/biopsy/when.html

All My Love,
Menolly