Ultraschall Med 2008; 29 - PP_8_1
DOI: 10.1055/s-2008-1079905

Complications of the ultrasound guided biopsy in liver focal lesions

C Brisc 1, C Brisc 1, A Maghiar 1, L Faur 1, O Frăţilă 1
  • 1Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy Oradea, University of Oradea, Clinical Emergency County Hospital Oradea, Gastroenterology Clinical Department

Aim: The present paper aims the rate and the type of complications occurred during liver punction biopsy, in case of focal lesions.

Material and method: This study presents our experience in the case of 148 patients with focal liver diseases, which undergo liver biopsy punction. The dispatch diagnosis was possible malignancy for 114 cases (22 cases- possible primary tumors and 92 cases-possible metastasis), possible benign tumors in 4 cases and in 30 patients the dispatch diagnosis was an uncertain tumor. The punctions were performed with 1.2mm Bard and Bard- Magnum needles for histology (in 2 cases, in the same intervention, we used Chiba cytology needles for portal vein thrombosis punction). The guidance technique was „free hand“ type in 89 cases and with guidance device in 59 cases and the anesthetic method used lydocaine 1% in local injection. The number of biopsy passages/case was: 0 passages (1 case of interrupted biopsy-0.7%), 1 passage (99 cases-66.9%), 2 passages (22 cases-14.9%), 3 passages (10 cases-6.7%), 4 passages (8 cases-5.4%), 5 passages (7 cases-4.7%) and 6 passages (1 case-0.7%). Multiple passages were necessary for hard consistency tumors, because of the small size of the sample.

Results: The registered complications were:

  • Pain 36 cases (24.3%) with the following intensity: mild 32 cases (21.6%), moderate 2 cases (1.4%), severe 2 cases (1.4%).

  • Minor hemorrhage 3 cases (2%)

  • Small haematoma 4 cases (2.7%)

  • Low blood pressure 17 cases (11.5%) with the following severity: mild 14 cases (9.5%), moderate 2 cases (1.4%) and severe 1 case (0.7%)

  • Fainting 2 cases (1.4%)

  • Subfebrility 2 cases (1.4%)

  • One case of interrupted maneuver due to severe low blood pressure

102 cases meaning 68.9% patients did not present any complications including pain. There were no major complications.

Conclusions: Liver biopsy punction in focal lesions was for our study a relatively safe method, without major complications and in almost 70% cases there were no symptoms and signs of minor complications.