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Liver biopsy
Category: Biopsies, Lab & Pathology Tests · All biopsies, lab & pathology tests
What it is
A liver biopsy takes a small core of liver tissue with a needle, usually through the skin between the ribs under ultrasound guidance (percutaneous), to diagnose and stage liver disease. A transjugular route through a neck vein is used when clotting is poor or fluid is present.
Why it is done
It investigates abnormal liver blood tests of unclear cause, stages scarring (fibrosis) in fatty liver and viral hepatitis when non-invasive tests are inconclusive, and assesses autoimmune, metabolic and other liver diseases, and sometimes liver lesions.
How to prepare
You will have blood tests including clotting and platelets, and blood thinners are usually paused. Non-invasive fibrosis scans often come first. You usually fast for several hours and stay for several hours of observation afterwards — many units keep patients for the day or overnight.
What happens during the procedure
You lie on your back with your right arm up. After ultrasound marking and local anaesthetic, the biopsy needle passes quickly into the liver as you hold your breath — a click and a dull ache or shoulder-tip discomfort are typical. One or two cores are taken. The percutaneous procedure takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
Afterwards — recovery & results
You rest in bed with regular observations for several hours (lying on your right side at first in many units). Shoulder-tip and abdominal discomfort are common for a day. Avoid heavy lifting for about a week. Results take about one to two weeks.
Risks & considerations
The main risk is bleeding — usually minor; significant bleeding needing transfusion or further procedure is uncommon but is the reason for observation. Other risks: pain, infection, bile leak, and rarely injury to lung or gallbladder. Transjugular biopsy carries a lower bleeding-into-abdomen risk in selected patients. Your team will explain your individual risk.
Watch: Liver biopsy videos
Real procedure videos from the MedicalVideos.com library. Some clinical footage is graphic — that is the nature of a medical video library.
Related guides on MedicalVideos.com
Frequently asked questions
Can scans replace the biopsy?
Blood-based scores and elastography (FibroScan) now answer many staging questions non-invasively. Biopsy remains for unclear causes, overlapping diseases and when precise staging changes decisions.
Why does my shoulder hurt?
The liver's capsule shares nerve pathways with the shoulder tip — referred pain there after biopsy is classic and usually settles within a day.
Related procedures — Biopsies, Lab & Pathology Tests
Browse the L section of the A–Z list or return to the Procedures & Tests hub.