Prospective study of the incidence of ultrasound-detected hepatic hematomas 2 and 24 hours after percutaneous liver biopsy.

Recently, a high incidence of hepatic hematomas following percutaneous liver biopsy was reported. This induced us to undertake this prospective ultrasound examination before, as well as 2 and 24 h after, percutaneous liver biopsy, using a Menghini needle (O 1.4 mm), in 93 patients for diagnostic purposes. Two hours after biopsy a small subcapsular fluid margin was found in one patient (1.1%) which disappeared within 24 h. We conclude that hepatic hematomas are not frequent following percutaneous liver biopsy and that it remains a safe diagnostic procedure to find out the reason for chronically elevated liver enzymes and evaluate suspected diffuse parenchymal lesions of the liver.