Transjugular liver biopsy: how good is it for accurate histological interpretation?

A transjugular liver biopsy (TJLB) specimen is often smaller or more fragmented than a percutaneous liver biopsy (PLB) specimen. Recently, for PLB, the minimum requirements to evaluate chronic hepatitis have been set at 20-25 mm length and > or =11 complete portal tracts.

To evaluate and compare length of TJLB and PLB specimens, portal tract number, fragmentation and adequacy for histopathological diagnosis and staging.

326 consecutive TJLB specimens in 274 patients (109 who had undergone a transplantation), always using three passes (19-G Tru-cut) and 40 consecutive PLB specimens (15-G Menghini).

No technical failures occurred with the TJLB, and histological diagnosis was possible in 98.5%. The median (range) number of fragments was 5 (1-13) and the median total length was 22 (3-46) mm, with 65% of specimens > or =20 mm and 36% > or =25 mm; 60% of TJLB specimens were > or =28 mm long had > or =11 complete portal tracts. No difference in complete portal tract number or biopsy length was found between PLB and TJLB specimens.

A TJLB specimen with three passes is adequate for histological diagnosis, with 89% of specimens being either > or =15 mm or having > or =6 complete portal tracts. Although adequate sampling remains a limitation for staging and grading of chronic hepatitis, TJLB is comparable to PLB in this respect.