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Updated: Jan 4, 2026

Measurement of the Hepatic Venous Pressure Gradient and Transjugular Liver Biopsy
Published on: June 18, 2020
Major Complications of Pediatric Percutaneous Liver Biopsy Do Not Differ Among Physicians With Different Degrees of
Natascha S Sandy1, Gabriel Hessel2, Maria Angela Bellomo-Brandao2
1Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Introduction:
The objective was to compare safety of pediatric percutaneous liver biopsy (PLB) performed by fellows or staff physicians.
Methods:
Outcomes of 212 PLB completed by first-year pediatric gastroenterology fellows or by staff physicians over 8 years were analyzed and compared.
Results:
Approximately 81.5% of the biopsies were completed by trainees. No significant differences were found between groups (fellows vs staff) regarding number of punctures (median of 1.7 for both), nonrepresentative biopsies (4.2% vs 2.6%), and hemoglobin drop (median of 0.7 vs 0.5 g/L).
Discussion:
Complications of pediatric PLB are uncommon and did not differ among physicians with different training levels.
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