The changing place of liver biopsy in clinical practice: an audit of an Australian tertiary hospital

P Varma; C Jayasekera; R N Gibson; D L Stella; A J Nicoll

doi:10.1111/imj.12503

The changing place of liver biopsy in clinical practice: an audit of an Australian tertiary hospital

Intern Med J. 2014 Aug;44(8):805-8. doi: 10.1111/imj.12503.

Authors

P Varma¹, C Jayasekera, R N Gibson, D L Stella, A J Nicoll

Affiliation

¹ Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

PMID: 25081045
DOI: 10.1111/imj.12503

Abstract

Liver biopsy is an important tool in hepatology, with a role now generally limited to cases of diagnostic uncertainty. A retrospective audit performed at the Royal Melbourne Hospital aimed to identify the indications for liver biopsy and its impact on management. Ten per cent (20/195) of biopsies lacked a strong clinical indication, with hepatology involvement in only 8/20. We recommend prior hepatologist assessment to minimise unnecessary biopsies.

Keywords: indication; liver biopsy; viral hepatitis.

Publication types

Case Reports
Review

MeSH terms

Adult
Australia
Biopsy / methods*
Clinical Audit*
Diagnosis, Differential
Gastroenterology*
Hepatitis, Viral, Human / diagnosis*
Humans
Liver / pathology*
Tertiary Care Centers*
Young Adult