A retrospective analysis of 242 consecutive diagnostic abdominal paracenteses in patients with liver disease disclosed seven major complications, including serious hemorrhage (four), perforation of bowel with generalized peritonitis (one), perforation of bowel with abdominal wall abscess (one), and a catheter fragment left in the abdominal wall or cavity (one). The results of this study emphasize the potential dangers of this procedure in these patients and raise the possibility that complications may be more common than previously thought.