Kimura Takuya, Nakajima Kiyokazu, Wasa Masafumi, Hasegawa Toshimichi, Soh Hideki, Mushiake Sohtaro, Okada Akira
Department of Pediatric Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
Surg Today. 2003;33(9):712-3. doi: 10.1007/s00595-002-2554-3.
We performed laparoscopic liver biopsy in a 10-year-old girl with acute myelocytic leukemia and coagulopathy. Each biopsy was taken under laparoscopic ultrasound (LUS) guidance, and hemostasis was achieved with an argon beam coagulator (ABC). These instruments were introduced through one 10/12-mm port, which also allowed the insertion of surgical gauze for direct compression. By using LUS, ABC, and one full-sized working port, laparoscopic liver biopsy becomes a viable and safer alternative, even for children with coagulopathy.