Sampling variability of liver biopsy in inflammatory bowel disease

Sampling errors may occur when hepatic needle biopsy specimens are obtained for histologic examination. We obtained biopsy specimens from the right and left lobes of the livers of 29 patients who were to undergo surgery for inflammatory bowel disease. The histologic appearances of Kupffer's cell hyperplasia, fatty change, portal tract inflammation, and focal necrosis, but not giant cell granulomas, were well represented by a single specimen. The incidence of minor hepatic abnormalities was high and is likely to reflect the severity of the disease leading to surgery, but serious lesions were uncommon.