Be sure to mention any medications you take, especially those, like blood thinners, that affect blood clotting. One week before the surgery, you will have to stop taking aspirin, ibuprofen, and anticoagulants. You will also have a chest x-ray. You must not eat or drink anything for 8 hours before the biopsy, and you should plan to arrive at the hospital about an hour before the scheduled time of the surgery. Your physician will tell you whether to take your normal medications during the fasting period and may give you other special instructions.
Liver biopsy is considered minor surgery and is done at the hospital.
The nurse will start an intravenous line to give you medication for the procedure. For the biopsy, you will lie on a hospital bed on your back or turned slightly to the left side, with your right hand above your head. After marking the outline of your liver and injecting a local anesthetic to numb the area, the physician will make a small incision in your right side near your rib cage, then insert the biopsy needle and retrieve a sample of liver tissue. In most cases, the physician will use an ultrasound image of the liver to help guide the needle to a specific spot. You will need to hold very still so that the physician does not nick the lung or gallbladder, which are close to the liver.