Safety of liver biopsy as a day procedure in Abuth Zaria, Nigeria

Chronic liver disease (CLD) is an important condition, diagnosed mainly by liver biopsy and is a leading cause of death among the working class group. It is a major burden in sub-Saharan Africa where it leads to hepatocellular carcinoma with a high mortality. This study was a retrospective one undertaken to determine the safety of performing liver biopsy procedure between January 2000 to January 2009 in terms of the frequency of indications and side effects. A total of 279 entries were found out of which 270 (96.77%) had a definitive liver biopsy histology result. The main indication for liver biopsy was chronic viral hepatitis in 150 patients (53.76%) while the commonest complication was the post-procedure pain that was seen in 16 patients (5.7%). The average duration of hospital stay after biopsy was 6.08 ± 0.52 hours.