Liver biopsy and laparoscopy

Risks and Benefits of Liver Biopsy in Focal Liver Disease

“…Cytology was reported as a diagnosis method for liver disease by L. Lucatello (in Rome) in 1895, while F. Schupfer performed liver and spleen biopsies with a thicker needle twelve years later, in 1907. This new approach provided cylindrical-shaped tissue samples which could be histologically prepared and analyzed [1].…”

“…Other scarce accounts of successful procedures followed in the next couple of decades (Olivet, 1926;Huard 1935;Silverman, 1938;Baron, 1939;Kofler, 1940;Dible, 1943), using different aspiration techniques performed with different modified biopsy needles [1].…”

“…A new stage in modern liver biopsy techniques was reached when, in 1957 and repeated in the following year, Menghini performed and reported on the first "one-second needle biopsy" performed with a special small caliber needle with no trocar and a sharp bevel. This was the first time needle liver biopsy was introduced worldwide as a praised diagnostic technique capable of providing enough histological material for an accurate interpretation of the pathological changes present in the parenchyma [1].…”

“…Reports from Denmark, China, the United Kingdom, France or the United States of America populated the 1960-1980 literature, once the technique became widespread and fully acknowledged by the academic community. Its utility in diagnosing liver diseases and later on in staging hepatitis or malignancies was undisputed for entire decades of the 20th century [1].…”

“…The resources needed for this procedure are higher than percutaneous approaches; however, complication rates are lower (2.5% up to 6.5%) according to some authors [9], with mortality rates of approximately 0.09% in high-risk patient groups [10]. The expertise of the performing physician also plays a crucial role in the success rate of this procedure, and should be considered along with the higher resource costs when choosing this access route for a lower-risk patient [1].…”