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Updated: Jun 5, 2026
Measurement of the Hepatic Venous Pressure Gradient and Transjugular Liver Biopsy
Published on: June 18, 2020
Transjugular liver biopsy: comparison of sample adequacy with the use of two automated needle systems
George Behrens1, Hector Ferral, Deborah Giusto
1Section of Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, 1653 W Congress Parkway, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. george_behrens@rush.edu
Purpose:
To compare the adequacy of transjugular liver biopsy (TJLB) specimens with use of the 18-gauge Quick-Core and Flexcore needles.
Materials And Methods:
The records of 233 patients who underwent a TJLB procedure from January 2005 to December 2006 were retrospectively reviewed. Tissue samples from a total of 194 procedures were available for review; 117 TJLB procedures were performed with a Quick-Core needle and 77 were performed with a Flexcore needle. A single pathologist reviewed all the liver biopsy specimens in a blinded fashion. The χ(2), Fisher exact, and Student t tests were used to analyze differences between groups.
Results:
The TJLB procedure was technically successful in 232 of 233 cases (99.6%). Histologic diagnosis was possible in 96% of cases. Sample fragmentation rates were 24.9% with the Quick-Core needle and 14.3% with the Flexcore needle (P = .1). The mean numbers of complete portal tracts (CPTs) per submitted tissue per procedure were 10.0 ± 4.6 for the Quick-Core needle and 12.2 ± 6.1 for the Flexcore needle (P = .003). The mean numbers of CPTs per liver sample were 2.63 ± 1.8 for the Quick-Core needle and 3.28 ± 3.3 for the Flexcore needle (P = .00004). Complications were more common in patients with multiple comorbidities such as renal failure and coagulopathy and those who had received a liver transplant.
Conclusions:
This study demonstrates that the 18-gauge Flexcore TJLB system provided better liver biopsy specimens compared with the 18-gauge Quick-Core needle system.
