Transjugular Liver Biopsy in Patients with Unexplained Liver Dysfunction and hemorrhage tendency: A Safety and Efficacy Analysis

Background Transjugular liver biopsy (TJLB) enables histopathological diagnosis of liver disease and simultaneous assessment of the hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG). Aims To assess the diagnostic adequacy and safety of TJLB in combination with HVPG measurement in patients with unexplained Liver Dysfunction and hemorrhage tendency. Methods A total of 77 TJLB procedures were carried out in 58 patients with unexplained liver dysfunction using the COOK LABS kit. Biopsy specimens were evaluated for specimen length, number of complete portal tracts, diagnostic yield, and complications. Subgroup analyses were performed in different HVPG patients. Results Adequate histopathological samples were obtained in all procedures. The mean specimen length was 8 mm (range, 5–13 mm), with an average of 9 complete portal tracts (range, 4–20). 72.4% of patients have identified the causes after TJLB, which performed for 78.0% in patients with ascites and 72.7% with coagulopathy. For patients performed the pressure measure, higher HVPG values seemed to be correlated with shorter specimen length and fewer portal tracts. No procedure-related complications occurred. Conclusions TJLB is a safe and effective method for liver disease diagnosis and HVPG assessment in patients with unexplained Liver Dysfunction and hemorrhage tendency.