Puncture liver biopsy in modern medicine is used to clarify the diagnosis, its nature and the severity of organ damage. The essence of this procedure is to take the material (a small piece of liver) for further study.
Indications for liver biopsy
Assign a biopsy in such cases:
- hepatomegaly (enlargement of the liver);
- jaundice of unknown origin;
- chronic liver disease (alcohol, drug viral or autoimmune etiology);
- tuberculosis, brucellosis , parasitic diseases;
- metastatic liver damage.
Preparing for liver biopsy
Preparation for this procedure is as follows:
- Delivery of clinical analysis with blood. Blood samples are taken for HIV, AIDS, Rh factor, coagulability, platelet count.
- Passage of ultrasound of the abdominal cavity. The study is done to determine the anatomical position and condition of the liver.
- Exclusion of power. The last meal should be 10 to 12 hours before the procedure;
- Purgation. It is advisable to make a cleansing enema.
How is liver biopsy done?
Puncture liver biopsy is performed in a hospital using local anesthetics. Perhaps a feeling of slight discomfort during the introduction of the puncture needle and a slight pain during the sampling of the material. In the case of an unnecessarily nervous state of the patient, it is possible to use light sedative drugs. On the right side of the chest or peritoneum a small incision is made with a scalpel and a needle is inserted under the control of ultrasound. The material is sampled by creating a negative pressure in the needle cavity and produced within a fraction of a second. After that, the incision site is processed and a dressing is applied.
After the procedure, the patient is sent to the ward. For two hours, food is prohibited, and cold is applied to the area of intervention. After a day, a control ultrasound is performed. An unpleasant consequence of a properly made liver biopsy may be pain, which occurs within 48 hours.
Complications of the procedure and contraindications
Like any intervention, a liver biopsy can have complications:
- internal bleeding ;
- damage to internal organs;
- infection.
Contraindications for liver biopsy are:
- mental illness in which it is impossible to ensure complete immobility of the patient;
- diseases of the cardiovascular system;
- low blood coagulability.