INCIDENCE OF ULTRASOUND-DETECTED HEPATIC HEMATOMAS DUE TO FINE-NEEDLEBIOPSY IN COMPARISON TO PERCUTANEOUS MENGHINI NEEDLE LIVER-BIOPSY

Background: Recently, a high incidence of ultrasound-detected hepatic hematomas due to percutaneous liver biopsy has been reported. Until ye t, little is known about the incidence of asymptomatic hepatic hematom as following sonographically guided fine-needle biopsy. Patients and M ethods: For that reason, we carried out a prospective study with sonog raphic examinations before and alter liver biopsy in 160 patients. 51 patients, aged 50 to 83, median 67 years, with focal liver lesions had ultrasound-guided liver biopsy using the 0.95 mm-cut biopsy-needle, i n 109 patients (17 to 80, median 49 years) with diffuse liver disease percutaneous liver biopsy with the 1.4 mm-needle of Menghini was perfo rmed. Result: After fine-needle biopsy none of the 51 patients with fo cal liver lesions displayed liver hematoma on ultrasonography. In the group of patients who underwent percutaneous Menghini biopsy a liver h ematoma, sized up to 12 x 5 cm in diameter, occured four times (3.7%). Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that fine-needle biops y of the liver is a particularly safe diagnostic procedure, when compa red with percutaneous Menghini biopsy.