[Usefulness of ultrasonography in the complications of hepatic punction. Prospective studies]

We evaluated the usefulness of ultrasonography (US) to detect hepatic puncture complications. We studied 50 patients, 28 males and 22 females became hepatic puncture. The needles that we used were in 40 Tru-cut in two Chiba in one angiocath and in the other remaining two. US were performed one day before the liver puncture and were repeated 24 to 48 h post-puncture. The procedure was blindly on 29, in fourteen guided by US or scintigraphy, and by laparoscopy in seven. Six patients developed complications (12%), two hemobilia; two subcapsular hematoma, one hemoperitoneum and one hematoma of the abdominal wall. The US detected five of the six complications, and four patients had clinical signs. The sensitivity was 88 percent and the specificity 100%. Platelet count impaired was determinant for the complication. US is useful to detect liver puncture complications.