A liver biopsy is when a small piece of liver is removed and examined under the microscope. A biopsy is very useful in telling us how the liver actually looks. This can give us useful information on:

How much liver tissue is lost.


The different stages of fibrosis:
F0 - no scar
F1 - minimal scar around the portal tracts
F2 - some scar going beyond the portal tracts
F3 - lots of scar, almost cirrhosis
F4 - cirrhosis


How stressed the liver cells look in coping with these damaging factors - how quickly we think that new scar may form.


Exceptions:

A good sized liver biopsy and a good liver pathologist are needed to give a reliable report on the biopsy. Otherwise, a biopsy may be misleading.