Liver biopsy and histopathological diagnosis
Summary
This chapter offers diverse images that provide an overview of liver biopsy and histopathological diagnosis and aims to provide a synopsis through pictures and illustrations. Evaluation of liver biopsy requires that the pathologist recognize the architecture and identify the pathological changes, and correlate the changes with clinical and laboratory data. In addition to histology to confirm the clinical diagnosis, liver biopsy has become a very important prognostic tool to assess the responses to treatment of chronic viral hepatitis B and C. Liver biopsies are also extremely valuable in post-liver transplant settings. Standard protocols of liver biopsies help confirm clinical diagnoses from rejection to opportunistic infections. With proper indications and carefully chosen technique, a needle biopsy of the liver is an invaluable tool. Most often, the biopsy provides the final diagnosis when the pathology interpretation is made using the combined expertise of the pathologist and the hepatologist.