Nayyar Yaqoob, Malik Azhar Hussain, Akhtar Sherin.
Liver Biopsy Profile at a Local Hospital.
Pak J Med Sci Jan ;17(1):15-20.

Objective: To clocument various histopathological findings obtained atpercutaneous blind liver biopsy in patients with appropriate indications. Design: A retrospective review of 302 patients who underwent closed needle biopsy at o local hospital over a nine year period between March 1991 and March 2000. Setting: Department of Medicine, Fauji Foundation Hospital Rawalpindi. Subjects: Three hundred and two patients admitted for impatient liver biopsies. Main Outcome Measures: Prevalence of pathological findings and diagnostic yield. Results: There were 157 (52%) male and 145 (48%) female patients in this study. Their mean agewas fifty two years. Three hundred and two percutaneous biopsies were attempted with a success rate of 97 percent. Cirrhosis emerged as the most frequently observed finding 21.19%, followed by chronic active hepatitis 18.54%, Liver metastasis 15.56%, Hepatocellular carcinoma 1 1.5% and Cholestasis in 7.28 percent of cases. 3.97% patients had fatty change on liver biopsy. The indications for liver biopsy in the current study were dominated by unexplained hepatomegaly 46.35 percent. Only 01 death was encountered during this procedure. Conclusion: The percutaneous liver biopsy provides a good diagnostic yield with an acceptable failure rate. The liver biopsy is safe, helpful in the diagnosis and management of chronic liver disease and infections such as hepatic tuberculosis. The approach to the management of various liver ailments can be tailored according to the histologic diagnosis furnished by the liver biopsy.

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