[Value of liver histology in diagnosis of chronic hepatopathies].

The importance of a liver biopsy is summarized as follows: 1. A diagnostic liver biopsy may be helpful in otherwise unexplained liver disease, especially in cases with controversial or unexplicable patterns of laboratory findings or in chronic hepatitis without positive serological markers. 2. Liver histology is necessary for the assessment of the necroinflammatory activity of chronic hepatitis in order to decide on an eventual therapy. Liver biopsy is an important tool as well for the evaluation of liver transplantation in the end stage of several liver diseases as for the diagnosis of transplant-complications. 3. Follow-up biopsies are necessary for supervision of therapy of chronic hepatitis. Histology is the only reliable method for assessment of necroinflammatory activity.