Liver biopsy

[transplant_patient]

Hello,I'm a liver transplanted patient. I'm gonna talk about my last liver biopsy. My last liver biopsy was done since 2007 . The reports were good and I'm with a good health till now so, do I have to do a new liver biopsy ?

[Bolly]

Hi and welcome. Was the biopsy on your own liver before transplant or the transplanted liver?

[transplant_patient in reply to Bolly]

Hi, the biopsy which I had since 2007 was on my transplanted liver . I have been 8 years without doing a new biopsy so,is there a need for doing a new one . I can't remember how was it like ,but I watched videos and I read about it so, I got scared . Have you tried a biopsy before and thanks for your reply😊

[carmik in reply to transplant_patient]

Not sure why you had a biopsy on your transplanted liver

[transplant_patient in reply to carmik]

Hi, I had a lot of biopsies done before because this can help check For cancer spread or rejection of a transplanted organ . The biopsies are more accurate than the blood tests

[Bolly in reply to transplant_patient]

Biopsies are not really the best way to check for cancer. Why stick a needle into a potentially cancerous area, all you will do is seed the cancer. An ultrasound scan combined with blood tests such as the AFP tumour marker is the current clinical guideline for cancer monitoring. If anything suspect is found on the ultrasound the patient is normally sent for an MRI which is high definition enough to diagnose a tumour. If a hepatologist recommends regular biopsies for cancer monitoring I would query it straight away.

[transplant_patient in reply to Bolly]

I don't really know A lot about the biopsy cause I'm not a doctor but, I know that it's more accurate than the blood tests but, once the blood tests are good then there is no need for doing a new one but, the doctors suggest for doing a liver biopsy at least once a year to see how the new transplanted organ works and thanks for your reply

[MisterX in reply to transplant_patient]

This sounds completely absurd.

The purpose of a biopsy is to confirm a diagnosis or to differentiate a diagnosis when there is more than one possibility. It is not accurate enough to be used as a general health check on the liver because of sampling error.

Which hospital is suggesting this?

Is it in the UK?

[Bolly in reply to transplant_patient]

That's a question to ask your transplant team. How are your blood results after 8 years with the new liver and do you have any untreated illness such as viral hepatitis or uncontrolled autoimmune liver disease that would be damaging the new liver?

[transplant_patient in reply to Bolly]

Hi, all my blood results after 8 years from my last biopsy are very good. There is no Viral hepatitis or uncontrolled autoimmune liver disease. Everything is going well till now and thanks for your reply.

[Bolly in reply to transplant_patient]

So if your blood tests are good and there is no underlying disease on what grounds are your doctors saying you need a biopsy? Perhaps we are misunderstanding you here, as it seems you have been well for 8 years and not had a biopsy since your transplant 8 years ago. Long may it last and long may you not need another biopsy, certainly not a yearly one!

[dckimberly]

Hi there. I've just had my transplant two weeks ago, and no biopsy yet.....

But surely they've told u why? I mean they wouldn't just say right, time for biopsy...? Or am I wrong.?

Sorry, but that seems crazy to me, especially since a biopsy is kinda a big deal. Have you questioned your specialist? Are you in the UKor the US? If UK, is it Addenbrookes? I'm there now and the transplant team, post transplant folks, they would be happy to answer any questions...do you need your coordinators phone number? If your a patient at Cambridge, I'm happy to give you the coordinators number if you've lost it? Just message me, ok?

If not, find out who is post transplant coordinator ..they will get the skinny and tell you.

Cheering you on,

Kimberly

[dckimberly in reply to dckimberly]

Oops sorry,, read your post again..ok, so why do you think you need one now? Did someone say something? Sorry I was confused befroe

[transplant_patient in reply to dckimberly]

Hi kimberly, that's ok. My mom wants me to do a new liver biopsy to see how my liver is still working after 8 years from my biopsy but, because my blood tests are good the doctors said it's ok for not doing a new one now but, sooner or later I will have a new one if there are any problems. Btw, I really hope that your transplant went well, and I very much hope that your new liver ensure that you live many more and healthy years .

😊😊

[Bolly]

Going back to your original question which was "I'm a liver transplanted patient....My last liver biopsy was done since 2007 . The reports were good and I'm with a good health till now so, do I have to do a new liver biopsy ?" My answer to "do I have to do a new liver biopsy" my answer is: NO. By the way, your docs are right, and unless your mom is a hepatologist I would go with what the docs say and not what she suggests! Sorry 'mom' 😳

[transplant_patient in reply to Bolly]

Hi Bolly . I agree on what you have said and I will try to Convince ma Mom for not doing me a new biopsy 😀and Good that you got my question at the end , I don't know, wasn't it clear enough for understanding??

[AyrshireK]

Agree with Bolly completely here, why on earth would they want to go and do an invasive procedure like a biopsy on (in all likelyhood) a healthy liver? Ok if your bloods were 'going off' indicating that perhaps something was beginning to go wrong with your transplanted liver then yes a biopsy might be a planned method of investigation but if you are doing well, your bloods coming back good and you are generally in good health then I wouldn't think repeated biopsies would be done at all.

Continue to enjoy a happy life post transplant and trust your doctors/transplant team that should anything look like going awry they will step in and decide on any investigations which need done. Doctors will not want to go poking around in your new liver if they can avoid it.

Wishing you all the very, very best.

Katie x

[transplant_patient in reply to AyrshireK]

Hi Katie, yup totally agree and thanks for your reply !!

[mousehold in reply to transplant_patient]

I'm a liver transplant too and unfortunately they found cancer on the explant. Now

one year later I am to have a triple phase ct scan to check for any signs it looks like they can just about see everything. Look it up on wikki - I'm going to resist biopsy unless there is something wrong.

[transplant_patient]

Hello mousehold , Congratulations on the 1 year of your transplant!! . I hope that your doing well and I very much hope that your new liver ensure that you live many more and healthy years .

Hope that your ct-scan result will be good so that you wouldn't need to do a biopsy 😊😉