Transfemoral liver biopsy using a Quick-Core biopsy needle system in living donor liver transplantation recipients

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of transfemoral liver biopsy with a Quick-Core biopsy needle in select living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) recipients. Eight LDLT recipients underwent 9 transfemoral liver biopsy sessions. Six patients had undergone modified right lobe (mRL) LDLT, and 2 patients had undergone dual-left lobe LDLT. The indications for transfemoral liver biopsy were a hepatic vein (HV) at an acute angle to the inferior vena cava (IVC) on the coronal plane and a thin (<10-mm) liver parenchyma surrounding the HV to be biopsied on enhanced computed tomography. Under fluoroscopic guidance, the right inferior HV in the mRL or the left HV in the right-sided left lobe with a cranial orientation was negotiated with a 5-Fr catheter via the common femoral vein. Then, a stiffening cannula was introduced into the HV over a stiff guide wire. Needle passage was then performed with an 18- or 19-gauge Quick-Core biopsy needle. Technical success was achieved in all sessions without major complications. The median number of needle passages was 4 (range = 2-6). The median total length of obtained liver specimens in each session was 44 mm (range = 24-75 mm). The median number of portal tracts was 18 (range = 10-29), and the obtained liver specimens were adequate for histological diagnosis in all sessions. In conclusion, transfemoral liver biopsy with a Quick-Core biopsy needle is an effective and safe alternative for obtaining a liver specimen when standard transjugular liver biopsy is not feasible because of an unfavorable HV angle with respect to the IVC and/or a thin liver parenchyma surrounding the HV.