The liver is a vital organ and it performs many essential
functions. Therefore a healthy liver is essential for a regular,
healthy life. When liver function is affected either due to
injury, damage or illness, it causes many complications. In such
a case, doctors opt for a liver biopsy to zero in on the cause
of poor liver function. During a liver biopsy procedure, a small
piece of liver tissue is extracted and tested. This test enables
doctors to diagnosis a number of serious conditions like
cirrhosis, hepatitis and cancer. A liver biopsy is conducted to
study the health and state of the liver. There are several
potential approaches to procuring tissue for a liver biopsy. The
most commonly used technique for liver biopsy is the
percutaneous liver biopsy. In this method, a hollow needle is
inserted into the liver and a tissue sample is extracted. Before
the actual biopsy, doctors order an ultrasound or a computerized
tomography (CT) to obtain detailed images of the interior of the
body; this means the liver a