Abstract
The study presents investigation potentialities and risks of a liver biopsy method with a very fine needle (0.7 mm outer diameter). In 2 611 biopsies a serious complication was seen in one case, an intrahepatic haematoma, which had to be evacuated surgically. Otherwise even minor inconveniences to the patients proved exceptional. Specimens for cytological examination were obtained in 99% of the biopsies, and in 34 of 41 biopsies fragments of coherent liver tissue were obtained with a protein content varying from 32 to 900 μg. The specimens proved satisfactory for electron microscopy and under certain conditions also for chemical analysis of liver tissue.

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