Approximately 1 to 3 percent of patients requires hospitalization for complications after a liver biopsy, especially if the procedure was performed with a Tru-cut biopsy needle. Approximately one-fourth of patients has pain in the right upper quadrant or right shoulder after liver biopsy. The pain is usually dull, mild, and brief. Risk factors for hemorrhage after liver biopsy are older age, more than 3 passes with the needle during biopsy, and the presence of cirrhosis or liver cancer. The mortality rate among patients after percutaneous liver biopsy is approximately 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 12,000.
Mortality is highest among patients who undergo biopsies of malignant lesions.
Cirrhosis is another risk factor for fatal bleeding after liver biopsy. This minimizes the risk of bleeding. The duration of the procedure is between 30 and 60 minutes. Electrocardiographic monitoring is required to detect arrhythmias induced by passage of the catheter through the heart. Samples are retrieved from a needle passed through the catheter into the liver while suction is maintained.