Liver Biopsy

Hi All,

I need some information regarding the liver biopsy if it is risky or painful. Had anyone of u went through it? I'm supposed to do one soon. Also, does it provide accurate results?

I would really appreciate ur feedback.


 

hi touta,

my son is 17yrs, he has chirrosis of the liver from the iron overload and has been getting liver biopsies once a year for the last 8yrs.  his next one is scheduled for aug. 28.  at his last biopsy last year his gastro had to take a bigger piece of tissue cause the previous biopsy she had taken to small of tissue and it had disantegrated due to the severeness of the fibrosis, so now they automatically take a biger piece.

the procedure is done laprascopic and he stays overnight for precautions.  the recovery is a little painful, but not too bad his bigest complaint is that after the procedure he has to lay on the insicion sight for about 6hrs.  i think its mostly discomfort he feels nothing to severe, he usually does really well.

as far as the results, yes the biopsy is the most accurate test there is.  at his last biopsy his liver had actually improved.  because of my sons severity of his liver,  MRI, SQUID, FERRITIN tests dont help us the biopsy is the only test that is acurate for him.

as far as being risky, any time you're placed under anesthesia theres always a risk, but it's a simple procedure and usually only takes about 20min. to due.  my son has never had complications or problems from the many that he's had.

i hope this information is helpful and good luck with your biopsy.
take care,
lily

Hi Lilly,

Thank you so much for the information that you provided me with. I really appreciate your support.

I have a question; does it need a whole or going under full anesthesia or just local anesthesia to numb the liver area?


thank you Lilly once more  :hug

I had a liver biopsy about 14 years ago I was around 14 I don't remember it being too bad and I was only in the hospital for a day or 2.

Another option you may have is if you can have the SQUID done Iv'e had that done several times growing up and that was very easy.


good luck and god bless

Hi Hippievamp

Thanks for the info and also for your support. what about the SQUID; is that the ferriscan? as they want to me do a ferriscan as well. would you please shed some light about it if u had went throught and how it is done?

Thank you alot  :smile2

Ferriscan is done using an MRI machine. It is basically the same as an MRI except in the way the results are read. You can read about it at 
http://www.resonancehealth.com/rh_resonance--FAQ

I am surprised they want to do a biopsy in addition to the Ferriscan. The Ferriscan gives a very accurate determination of liver iron levels.

Squid is a different test that is available in only a few locations in the wold. Squid measures iron levels in the heart and is also a very accurate measure of heart iron. .

Thanks Andy for the information, it helped me alot.

Well i'm living in Egypt but most probably i will go to Italy have my liver biopsy there also i will try to get the Exjade while i'm there and i don't know if there is a ferriscan there or not but that what the doctor told requested from me

Do u have any idea if it is available there or not?

There are at least 3 locations in Italy.

Centro Microcitemie
Piazza Polonia 94
Torino
Italy 10126 Europe
Phone: +39 0113 134 771 Fax: +39 0113 134 590
 
Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico
Radiologia via F. Sforza 35 Padiglione Sacco
Milano
20122 Europe
Phone: +39 255 034 042  Fax: +39 255 033 520
 
IRCCS S. Matteo
Istituto Di Radiologica Piazzale Golgi 1
Pavia
Italy 27100 Europe
Phone: +39 0382 526 257 Fax: +39 0382 527 970

There is also a location in Egypt.

Misr Radiology Center
8 El Khalifa El Mamoun St, Manshiat El Bakry - Heliopolis
Cairo
Egypt * Middle East
Phone: +(20) 2 624 7327 Fax: +(20) 2 796 2789

For Ferriscan locations around the world. go to
http://www.resonancehealth.com/rh_findcentre--FindCentres



To contact Resonance Health, the company that offers Ferriscan,
Email:
General Enquiries Email:
info@ferriscan.com

Thanks Andy, U really helped me very much by these information. :smile2

For members who tried the liver biopsy; does it need going under full or complete anesthesia? or just local anesthesia to numb the liver area?

Dear Touta,

Liver Biopsy now a days is done in outpatient ward (that is you don't have to stay overnight), the procedure itself is hardly 15-20 minutes and virtually pain free. My daugther who is three year old had to go under sleep for her Biopsy last year but all adult patients just need to take local anesthesia. It is fairly common procedure. Please talk to your doctor for any risk (ofcourse there are risks with any medical procedure) but they are bare minimal in case of liver biopsy. If you have ferriscan option and feel comfortable with it that is another good option. If I have to choose between biopsy and ferriscan I will choose Ferriscan which tends to calculate whole liver content vs. in Biposy where results are dependent on the sample of liver taken (sometimes misleading). If you have any question please feel free to ask.

Regards.

Thank you very much Canidian...

Does it cause any bleeding ? do i need to take transfusion before i do? does it require to get my Hgb up to a certain level?

thanks alot for your support

Touta,
There is no loss of blood. The incision is about 1-1.5 cm you would probably see a bandaid on the area ))).

Regards

i have been reading all these diferent posts by everyone regarding liver bx vs non invasive tests.  it seems that everyone has a diferent opinion as to the acuracy of these tests and which is better.

i have read in a post about the bx giving  misleading readings.
i would like to stress to everyone reading this, i am no expert, nor doctor, im simply speaking from personal experience, i believe that to be inacurate information.

for years we relied on these non invasive forms of testing for my son and because of us relying on these tests he developed chirosis of the liver, he was even placed on a transplant list.  so i have to disagree with those who say the bx can be misleading, it is due to the bx the we discovered the damage to his liver.  as a parent it kills me to know that the severity of damage to his liver could have been prevented.  u see because we relied on these so called tests, the results were so good that he was taken off of desferal for over 1 yr and because of this it is why he has the damaged liver.  if i would have known then that these other test would not be as acurate as a bx i would have done the bx from the begining, and he wouldve never been taken off of the desferal, therefore possible preventing the damage that has been caused.  im sure there was a lot of things that might have contributed to his liver but i truly believe in my heart that having him be taken off of desferral was the major contributor to his problem.

this forum is a place for all of us patients and parents to get and give information and diferent views on things.  it is not my intention to put anyones opinion down.  the liver damage to my son has been a huge problem in our lives because it also effects everything else in his body, he is also diabetic and because of the liver damage he is unable to take oral meds he has to go directly into insulin.  i would hate to see anyone out there end up with a bad liver, if its something that can be preventend. 

just to all please, please when it comes to your liver make sure you discuss it thoroughly with your doctor before making any discisions.  liver bx are a routine and pretty simple procedure and to date it is the MOST ACCURATE form of thesting the liver. this i know from experience. take into consideration a simple procedure vs a lifelong problem with your liver that could potentially even cause someone to loose their life over it.

take care everyone,

Hi All

My name is Brighita and I work for the company that offers the FerriScan test. I was hoping to give you better understanding of the way the test works and the benefits it has for patients suffering from iron overload.

As I am sure most of you already know, FerriScan is the only non-invasive and regulated test of its kind in the world. FerriScan involves a simple 20 minute MRI scan where images of your liver are taken. These images are then sent to Resonance Health where they are analysed and a report is then generated which contains your exact liver iron concentration as well as a map of the iron distribution in your liver. The test has been proven against liver biopsy and is now being used worldwide.

Some of the benefits to patients include:

- Painless & safe test for accurate diagnosis of Liver Iron Concentration
- Less risk & greater accuracy than liver biopsy
- Reduced anxiety & waiting times for results
- Early detection can prevent damage from iron overload
- Ability to plan ahead for treatment - less impact on the quality of life
- Ability to measure treatment effectivenesss more regularly and accurately

As some of you have already mentioned FerriScan does in fact measure the entire distribution of iron in the liver, unlike liver biopsy, therefore giving you and your doctor a definitive liver iron measurement.

It is also worth noting that FerriScan is becoming available in more and more centres worldwide. To view a complete list of centres around the world please visit http://www.resonancehealth.com/rh_findcentre--FindCentres and for more information regarding FerriScan please visit our website http://www.ferriscan.com.

I am happy to answer any questions that you may have either directly to info@ferriscan.com or through the Thalassemia Patients and Friends forum.

Thanks!