# Liver Biopsy: what to expect? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 9, 2017, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver-biopsy-what-to-expect/786221 "2017-05-09T21:10:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver-biopsy-what-to-expect/786221/21 "2017-05-14T00:18:26Z")
How are you today? ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver-biopsy-what-to-expect/786221/22 "2017-05-14T00:39:41Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > How are you today? I have some other unrelated issues, but my liver is fine. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver-biopsy-what-to-expect/786221/23 "2017-05-14T00:47:38Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > I have some other unrelated issues, but my liver is fine. I am glad you are ok! But I was actually wondering about Ambivalid. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver-biopsy-what-to-expect/786221/24 "2017-05-14T01:42:52Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > How are you today? Much better. I got home about noon today. I have to follow up with my gastro mon. One thing I’ve discovered for sure; dilaudid is NOT my friend. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver-biopsy-what-to-expect/786221/25 "2017-05-14T01:48:40Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Much better. I got home about noon today. I have to follow up with my gastro mon. One thing I’ve discovered for sure; dilaudid is NOT my friend. Conversely, Fentanyl is great, if very short-acting. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver-biopsy-what-to-expect/786221/26 "2017-05-14T02:03:25Z")
I looked up the definition of hematoma and it looks like what I suffered for my second biopsy may have been an example of that. I heard them saying something about a sudden flow of blood filling a capsule. In my case it was plainly iatrogenic. Just for me personally, having gotten it both ways: intuitively I don’t feel how puncturing the diaphragm is somehow less risky than going through just the chest wall directly to the liver. But what do I know? ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver-biopsy-what-to-expect/786221/27 "2017-05-14T02:32:28Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Much better. I got home about noon today. I have to follow up with my gastro mon. One thing I’ve discovered for sure; dilaudid is NOT my friend. Awesome, glad to hear. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver-biopsy-what-to-expect/786221/28 "2017-05-14T02:54:41Z")
Glad you are home Ambi. It sounds like the hematoma was a procedural complication, a known risk of it. So long as the bleeding stopped and everything is stable letting it be is usually the best option. It is _not_ likely that it was there before. Has your gastroenterologist told you what (s)he is wanting the biopsy to rule out? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver-biopsy-what-to-expect/786221/29 "2017-05-14T04:28:24Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Glad you are home Ambi. > > It sounds like the hematoma was a procedural complication, a known risk of it. So long as the bleeding stopped and everything is stable letting it be is usually the best option. > > It is _not_ likely that it was there before. > > Has your gastroenterologist told you what (s)he is wanting the biopsy to rule out? No, he hasn’t. Cirrhosis and fatty liver have been ruled out. Maybe hepatitis of some sort? Idk, that’s just a WAG ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver-biopsy-what-to-expect/786221/30 "2017-05-14T12:31:33Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > No, he hasn’t. Cirrhosis and fatty liver have been ruled out. Maybe hepatitis of some sort? Idk, that’s just a WAG I thought hepatitis could be detected with a blood test. Or at least ruled out. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver-biopsy-what-to-expect/786221/31 "2017-05-14T17:24:33Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I thought hepatitis could be detected with a blood test. Or at least ruled out. Like I said, it was a guess. But I’m not sure that _anything_ can be ruled out with a blood test. Blood tests can _confirm_ something but the absence of out of whack numbers is by itself not indicative of much. I could be wrong but that’s my weak understanding of it. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver-biopsy-what-to-expect/786221/32 "2017-05-14T18:20:32Z")
Something to ask when you see him. How are you doing today? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver-biopsy-what-to-expect/786221/33 "2017-05-14T19:53:16Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > Something to ask when you see him. How are you doing today? I’m doing very well now, thanks for asking. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver-biopsy-what-to-expect/786221/34 "2017-05-15T01:46:52Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > I’m doing very well now, thanks for asking. 🙂 Yay! Glad to hear it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver-biopsy-what-to-expect/786221.md?page=1)