A cost-effective measure to prevent hemorrhage in ultrasound-guided percutaneous liver biopsy

Liver biopsy is a procedure whereby a biopsy needle is used to extract tissue from the liver parenchyma or focal lesions of the liver for pathological or microbiological examination. Percutaneous liver biopsy(PC-LB) is the most commonly employed and least expensive modality. However, it is associated with a significant risk of bleeding complications, which may potentially result in patient mortality. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of Absorbable Gelatin Sponge sheet filler agent (AGS-SFA) in preventing bleeding complications during liver tissue biopsy and to validate a cost-effective surgical technique.

In this study, patients who underwent ultrasound-guided percutaneous liver tissue biopsy at our hospital were selected and randomly assigned to either an observation or control group. The observation group employed the use of AGS-SFA to fill the biopsy needle channel. Immediately following the biopsy procedure, the biopsy needle path was examined using Doppler ultrasound. The incidence of bleeding complications following biopsy and the associated factors influencing bleeding were analysed in the two groups.

The observation and control groups were successfully biopsied, with a 100% success rate for both. The incidence of bleeding complications was significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group. Four factors, including fatty liver, prothrombin time, albumin and INR, were found to have a significant effect on biopsy bleeding in the control group.

The use of coaxial needles to inject AGS-SFA is an effective and economical procedure that significantly improves the safety of biopsy without increasing the burden of patient care.