Research is underway to improve the usefulness of MRI for the diagnosis of liver disease. Laparoscopy Laparoscopy can provide a view of 70 percent of the liver surface and an extremely accurate, visually guided biopsy. This procedure requires local anesthesia and mild sedation. Next, two small flexible video tubes are used inserted into a persons abdomen to allow the doctor to view the liver on a television screen. The procedure is safe with a complication rate of only 1 to 2 percent.
Laparoscopic ultrasound is a recent development.
This procedure is used to visualize the pancreatic and biliary ducts. A small flexible tube is inserted through the mouth and passed into the small intestine. Here a small camera can view the duct opening. A dye can be injected during this procedure to better visualize the biliary ducts leading to the liver if indicated. This test can have serious side effects in some instances, and specialized MRI may replace certain uses of ERCP in the future.