Keywords:
Liver, CT, Ultrasound, Biopsy, Quality assurance
DOI:
10.26044/ranzcr2023/C-112
Conclusion
Liver biopsies using an 18 gauge BioPince needle theoretically require 56mm of tissue to achieve an adequate sample in 99.85% of cases. Therefore 2 passes of 30cm throws or 3 passes of 20cm throws should be used routinely for non-targeted liver biopsies with the 18 gauge BioPince needle to achieve an adequate sample while minimizing risk of complications. The length of biopsy sample required, in this study, exceeds that of previous reports [2]. One explanation is the difference in needle size (comparing the 18 gauge BioPince needle to that of the 16 gauge needle recommended in the report). Another possibility is the limitation of this study, that there is a small sample size, with data obtained from a single institution. Further research should be undertaken to determine the incidence of complications of the 18 gauge BioPince needle at this optimal number of biopsy passes, so that an informed decision can be made on the balance of biopsy sample quality versus complication rate.