Liver biopsies often use needles to remove a small amount of tissue from the liver for examination. A doctor can use the biopsy to diagnose and assess conditions that affect the liver.
A liver biopsy can help provide information to a doctor about the health of a person’s liver. The doctor can use this medical test to identify the damage, assess its extent, and help diagnose conditions that affect a person’s liver.
This article looks at the types of needles that doctors use for liver biopsies and explains what to expect from a liver biopsy.
What is a liver biopsy needles
A liver biopsy needle helps doctors collect a small sample of tissue during a percutaneous liver biopsy. This is a specific typeTrusted Source of liver biopsy that involves inserting a needle into a person’s abdomen.
Doctors also use needles in a transjugular liver biopsy, during which they insert a needle into a vein in a person’s neck.
After collecting a tissue sample, the doctor will send it to a lab for analysis. When the results come back, they can use the information to guide treatment or determine whether additional testing is necessary.
For a liver biopsy, experts suggest using either an aspiration needle or a cutting needle.
Both of these can collect tissue samples from the liver, but they operate differently. The choice of liver biopsy needle may depend on the facility and the availability of the needles.
Types
There are two main types of needles that doctors may use during a liver biopsy:
A cutting needle: This type has a side notch that rests against the liver and an outer sheath that cuts off a small portion of the tissue. One example is the Tru-Cut needle, which manufacturers design specifically for this purpose.
An aspiration needle: This is a thin, hollow tube that collects a small sample through suction. Examples include Menghini and Jamshidi needles.
Size
The size of the needle can vary.
A doctor will likely discuss size in terms of gauge, with smaller numbers indicating larger needles and higher gauges referring to smaller needles.
Some evidence suggests that larger needles have a higher tendency to cause complications, such as bleeding. However, this is based on animal studies, and researchers have not yet replicated this finding in trials involving humans.
Risks of different needles
The BMJ reports that in an older study of 68,276 percutaneous liver biopsies, the Tru-Cut needle had a higher rate of complications than the Menghini needle. However, both rates were low, with complications affecting 0.3% and 0.1% of procedures, respectively.
This shows that a liver biopsy is generally a safe procedure.
A person can ask a doctor which type of needle they will use for the biopsy and discuss the associated risks with them.
How painful is the needle?
Prior to making any incisions or inserting the needle, the doctor will numb the area with a local anesthetic. This will prevent a person from feeling pain from the incision or the needle.
However, a person may feel some pressure or mild discomfort as the doctor pushes the needle into the body.
Following the procedure, pain is the most commonTrusted Source complication. People can manage this by taking pain relievers.
What to expect
There are different optionsTrusted Source for a liver biopsy procedure, two of which — percutaneous and transjugular — require a liver biopsy needle.
This section looks at what to expect from these two procedures.
Percutaneous liver biopsy
A percutaneous liver biopsy involves inserting the biopsy needle through a small incision in the abdomen.
Prior to the procedure, a doctor may give the person specific instructions, such as stopping certain medications or avoiding food and drink for a certain period.
The procedure typically involves the following steps:
A person will need to lie on their back or their left side. A doctor will then clean the abdominal area with antiseptic.
The doctor then numbs the area by injecting a local anesthetic. They usually inject the skin on the person’s right side, between the two lower ribs.
The doctor will then make a small incision and insert the needle through the opening to reach the liver and take a tissue sample with the needle.
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