Medical liver biopsy: background, indications, procedure and histopathology

Alexander Boyd; Owen Cain; Abhishek Chauhan; Gwilym James Webb

doi:10.1136/flgastro-2018-101139

Medical liver biopsy: background, indications, procedure and histopathology

Frontline Gastroenterol. 2020 Jan;11(1):40-47. doi: 10.1136/flgastro-2018-101139. Epub 2019 Mar 2.

Authors

Alexander Boyd^{1

2

3}, Owen Cain⁴, Abhishek Chauhan^{1

2

3}, Gwilym James Webb^{2

5}

Affiliations

¹ Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
² Centre for Liver and Gastrointestinal Research, Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
³ Liver Unit, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK.
⁴ Histopathology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK.
⁵ Hepatology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK.

Abstract

Histological analysis of liver tissue continues to play an important role in modern hepatological practice. This review explores the indications for medical liver biopsy in addition to the procedure itself, potential complications, preparation of tissue and routine staining. A broad selection of histological images is included to illustrate the appearance of liver tissue both in health and in several important diseases.

Keywords: histopathology; liver; liver biopsy.

Publication types

Review