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Medical Author:

David C. Wolf, M.D., FACP, FACG, AGAF

Medical Editor:

Jay W. Marks, MD

Jay W. Marks, MD

Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

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Intraoperative liver biopsies are typically performed in patients who are undergoing surgery for another reason. Surgery may be performed via an open approach or via a laparoscopic approach, depending upon the needs of the patient. The surgeon may choose to perform a needle biopsy or may choose to remove a small wedge of liver tissue.

In some circumstances, a patient may undergo intraoperative liver ultrasound to identify a liver mass that is difficult to access using a percutaneous approach. That mass lesion may then undergo ultrasound-guided liver biopsy while the patient is on the operating room table.

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