Liver biopsy for histological assessment - the case against
Percutaneous liver biopsy (LB) remains an important tool in the diagnosis and management of parenchymal liver diseases. In current practice, it is most frequently performed to assess the inflammatory grade and fibrotic stage of commonly encountered liver diseases, with the diagnostic role relegated...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2010-01-01
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| Series: | The Saudi Journal of Gastroenterology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.saudijgastro.com/article.asp?issn=1319-3767;year=2010;volume=16;issue=2;spage=124;epage=132;aulast=Sanai |
| _version_ | 1818418739523092480 |
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| author | Sanai Faisal Keeffe Emmet |
| author_facet | Sanai Faisal Keeffe Emmet |
| author_sort | Sanai Faisal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Percutaneous liver biopsy (LB) remains an important tool in the diagnosis and management of parenchymal liver diseases. In current practice, it is most frequently performed to assess the inflammatory grade and fibrotic stage of commonly encountered liver diseases, with the diagnostic role relegated to secondary importance. The role of LB remains a vastly controversial and debated subject, with an ever-increasing burden of evidence that questions its routine application in all patients with liver dysfunction. It remains, essentially, an invasive procedure with certain unavoidable risks and complications. It also suffers shortcomings in diagnostic accuracy since a large liver sample is required for an ideal assessment, which in clinical practice is not feasible. LB is also open to observer interpretation and prone to sampling errors. In recent years, a number of noninvasive biomarkers have evolved, each with an impressive range of diagnostic certainty approaching that achieved with LB. These noninvasive tests represent a lower-cost option, are easily reproducible, and serve as suitable alternatives to assess hepatic inflammation and fibrosis. This article aims to debate the shortcomings of LB while simultaneously demonstrating the diagnostic accuracy, reliability and usefulness of noninvasive markers of liver disease thereby making the case for their utilization as suitable alternatives to LB in many, although not all, circumstances. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T12:27:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-00011897effb4f4680d2afbc8d484891 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1319-3767 1998-4049 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T12:27:28Z |
| publishDate | 2010-01-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Saudi Journal of Gastroenterology |
| spelling | doaj.art-00011897effb4f4680d2afbc8d4848912022-12-21T23:01:17ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsThe Saudi Journal of Gastroenterology1319-37671998-40492010-01-01162124132Liver biopsy for histological assessment - the case againstSanai FaisalKeeffe EmmetPercutaneous liver biopsy (LB) remains an important tool in the diagnosis and management of parenchymal liver diseases. In current practice, it is most frequently performed to assess the inflammatory grade and fibrotic stage of commonly encountered liver diseases, with the diagnostic role relegated to secondary importance. The role of LB remains a vastly controversial and debated subject, with an ever-increasing burden of evidence that questions its routine application in all patients with liver dysfunction. It remains, essentially, an invasive procedure with certain unavoidable risks and complications. It also suffers shortcomings in diagnostic accuracy since a large liver sample is required for an ideal assessment, which in clinical practice is not feasible. LB is also open to observer interpretation and prone to sampling errors. In recent years, a number of noninvasive biomarkers have evolved, each with an impressive range of diagnostic certainty approaching that achieved with LB. These noninvasive tests represent a lower-cost option, are easily reproducible, and serve as suitable alternatives to assess hepatic inflammation and fibrosis. This article aims to debate the shortcomings of LB while simultaneously demonstrating the diagnostic accuracy, reliability and usefulness of noninvasive markers of liver disease thereby making the case for their utilization as suitable alternatives to LB in many, although not all, circumstances.http://www.saudijgastro.com/article.asp?issn=1319-3767;year=2010;volume=16;issue=2;spage=124;epage=132;aulast=SanaiBiomarkersFibroScanFibroTesthistologyliver biopsynoninvasive assessment |
| spellingShingle | Sanai Faisal Keeffe Emmet Liver biopsy for histological assessment - the case against The Saudi Journal of Gastroenterology Biomarkers FibroScan FibroTest histology liver biopsy noninvasive assessment |
| title | Liver biopsy for histological assessment - the case against |
| title_full | Liver biopsy for histological assessment - the case against |
| title_fullStr | Liver biopsy for histological assessment - the case against |
| title_full_unstemmed | Liver biopsy for histological assessment - the case against |
| title_short | Liver biopsy for histological assessment - the case against |
| title_sort | liver biopsy for histological assessment the case against |
| topic | Biomarkers FibroScan FibroTest histology liver biopsy noninvasive assessment |
| url | http://www.saudijgastro.com/article.asp?issn=1319-3767;year=2010;volume=16;issue=2;spage=124;epage=132;aulast=Sanai |
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