Liver Biopsy in a Tuberculosis Hospital

The practical value of liver biopsy in a tuberculosis hospital was found to be: 1. Hematogenous dissemination with or without the clinical features of miliary tuberculosis is recognized. Hepatic dissemination does not necessarily imply generalized miliary tuberculosis which therefore cannot be diagnosed from the liver biopsy specimen alone. Recognition of dissemination is important for prognosis and therapy in pulmonary tuberculosis and more so in extra-pulmonary forms. 2. The degree of non-specific reactive hepatitis (liver damage, focal necrosis and inflammation) reflects systemic toxicity. 3. Frequently associated diseases such as cirrhosis or hepatitis are detected. 4. The presence and extent of amyloid deposition can be evaluated more effectively than with Congo red tests alone.