A liver biopsy is not a routine procedure, but is performed when it
is necessary to determine the presence of liver disease and to look
for malignancy, cysts, parasites, or other pathology. The actual
procedure is only slightly uncomfortable. Most of the discomfort
arises from being required to lie still for several hours
afterwards to prevent bleeding from the biopsy site.
Review Date: 06/01/2010
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine,
Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
