Mini-laparoscopy in the endoscopy unit: Safety and outcomes in over one thousand patients

AIM: To investigate the safety of consecutive mini-laparoscopy guided liver biopsies for the diagnosis and staging of liver diseases. METHODS: In this study we retrospectively analyzed the safety of mini-laparoscopic liver biopsy performed in an endoscopy unit in 1071 patients. We measured the incidence of bleeding and evaluated the management and outcome of bleeding interventions. RESULTS: The most common etiologies of liver injury were viral hepatitis and autoimmune liver disease. 250 patients had macroscopically and histologically proven cirrhosis. 13 patients had no pathological findings. 33% of all patients had bleeding that required argon plasma coagulation of the puncture site during…