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TRANSJUGULAR LIVER BIOPSY ‐ AN AUSTRALIAN EXPERIENCE
Author(s) -
STEADMAN C.,
TEAGUE C.,
HARPER J.,
HAYES P.,
NATHAN N.,
HARRIS O.,
KERLIN P.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.596
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1445-5994
pISSN - 0004-8291
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-5994.1988.tb01640.x
Subject(s) - medicine , biopsy , percutaneous , ascites , radiology , surgery , liver biopsy
During the four year period 1983‐87 transjugular liver biopsy was performed on 67 patients (M43, F24) aged 17–79 yr (mean 45.6 yr). Standard percutaneous biopsy was contraindicated by coagulation disorders (95%) often with ascites (17%). Biopsies were taken using a specially modified Ross trans‐septal needle passed into hepatic veins under fluoroscopic guidance. Hepatic tissue samples were obtained from the initial biopsy in 62 (93%) patients. In 30 consecutive transjugular biopsies a mean area of 38.2 mm 2 per section (0.9–100mm 2 ) was available for histology compared with an area of 15.9 mm 2 (9.3–48.8 mm 2 ) in 50 consecutive percutaneous biopsies. Improved techniques of sample washing, sieving and fixation optimised separation of hepatic tissue from blood clot and fibrin. Four patients experienced significant complications but no deaths occurred. Individual diagnoses were changed in 17 patients as a result of biopsy findings. This study confirms the efficacy and relative safety of the transjugular approach in obtaining liver biopsies from patients with contraindications to standard percutaneous techniques.