Sheath needle for liver biopsy in high-risk patients.

Addition of an outer plastic sheath to a standard biopsy needle allows fluoroscopically monitored embolization of the biopsy site and needle tract with gelatin particles, thus reducing the risk of postbiopsy hemorrhage. This method has been used instead of the transjugular technique to perform liver biopsies in 22 patients considered to be at high risk for hemorrhage from biopsy performed with conventional techniques. A specimen adequate for diagnosis was obtained in 21 of the 22 patients. No patient exhibited clinical signs of postbiopsy hemorrhage.