Needle biopsy of the liver; general considerations

Needle biopsy of the liver provides concrete diagnostic information that cannot be as readily obtained in any other way. This report reviews 401 liver biopsies in 312 patients. THE MAJOR INDICATIONS FOR USE OF THIS PROCEDURE ARE: To determine the cause of an obscure liver enlargement; to establish the cause of jaundice; to distinguish between malignant disease and cirrhosis of the liver; to determine when hepatitis has subsided; and to evaluate the results of treatment. At times, systemic disease that has not been recognized by other means may be diagnosed by this technique. There is risk in performing this test, and the 0.25 per cent mortality in this series compares favorably with that reported from other clinics. Where the diagnosis by biopsy could be compared with observations at operation or autopsy, the correct diagnosis was made by biopsy in 85 per cent of cases. Greater accuracy was obtained by two or more biopsic examinations in one case then by single biopsy. In several cases in which surgical operation was considered, biopsic information made it unnecessary, and vice versa.     

Method for the decellularization of intact rat liver

We have developed a method for the decellularization of whole rat livers by perfusion with increasing concentrations of detergents. This procedure resulted in an intact, decellularized organ with an intact liver capsule. These decellularized organs were analyzed by immunohistochemistry, and retained an appropriate distribution of extracellular matrix components. The laminin basement membranes of the liver vasculature also remain intact. These acellular vessel remnants were strong enough to be cannulated; providing a convenient means for the delivery of cells to areas deep within the decellularized organ. Cannulation of the extrahepatic vessel remnants allow for media to be circulated through the decellularized organ. These decellularized livers provide a natural matrix for research in the fields of bio-artificial livers and liver engineering.     

Cryoelectrolysis; an acute case study in the pig liver

We report results from an acute, single case study in the pig liver on the effects of a tissue ablation protocol (we named cryoelectrolysis) in which 10 min of cryosurgery, with a commercial cryosurgical probe, are delivered after 10 min of electrolysis generated by a current of about 60 mA. The histological appearance of tissue treated with cryoelectrolysis is compared with the appearance of tissue treated with 10 min of cryosurgery alone and with 10 min of electrolysis alone. Histology done after 3 h survival shows that the mixed rim of live and dead cells found around the ablated lesion in both cryosurgery and electrolytic ablation is replaced by a sharp margin between life and dead cells in cryoelectrolysis. The appearance of the dead cells in each, cryoelectrolysis, cryosurgery and electrolytic ablation is different. Obviously, this is an acute study and the results are only relevant to the conditions of this study. There is no doubt that additional acute and chronic studies are needed to strengthen and expand the findings of this study.