Transjugular Liver Biopsy (TJLB)

Abstract

Transjugular liver biopsy (TJLB) is performed in patients who have difficulty undergoing percutaneous liver biopsy due to ascites or coagulopathy. It has become a standard procedure in the USA and Europe since its development by Dotter et al. in 1964. TJLB is a useful procedure that can be safely performed in patients with coagulopathy with very few complications such as bleeding. However, TJLB is a complicated procedure, and the biopsy specimens tend to be fragmented, so it is not widely performed in Japan. This manuscript outlines the indications, complications, biopsy procedures, and technical points of TJLB.