New publication: Incidence of Complications from Percutaneous Biopsy in Chronic Liver Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
We would like to congratulate Helena Thomaides-Brears, H.B. et al. for their publication success of "Incidence of complications from percutaneous biopsy in chronic liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis".
Liver disease is on the rise and liver biopsy remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of many liver disorders. Our latest study, a systematic review and meta-analysis of 64,356 percutaneous liver biopsy procedures, showed that 2.4% had major complications, mainly bleeding, 9.5% had minor complications, led by pain and 0.9% were technical failures. Incidence of hospitalization was greater in younger patients and those with more severe disease.
Our results highlight that repeat biopsies should be avoided in these vulnerable groups, and reasons for performing biopsies must be more clearly defined. Furthermore, these findings encourage the consideration of non-invasive alternatives to liver biopsy, such as our leading quantitative multiparametric MRI technology, LiverMultiScan®.
