Background: Although fragmentation of a liver biopsy specimen has been considered to be suggestive of cirrhosis, the evidence for this is difficult to find in the published literature.
Aim: To determine whether fragmentation of percutaneous liver biopsy specimens correlates with the degree of fibrosis.
Methods: One hundred and eighty-six patients underwent percutaneous liver biopsy prospectively. The specimens were measured for the length and number of fragments. The extent of fibrosis was scored by a pathologist blind to the clinical data. Length and fragmentation data were compared between the different stages.
Results: The overall median fragment length was 1.85 cm and the median fragment number was four. Specimens with advanced fibrosis (stages III-IV) had more fragments than those with no or mild fibrosis (stages 0-II) (P < 0.0001). The aggregate fragment length decreased with increasing stage of fibrosis (P < 0.0001). Specimens with greater than 12 fragments were seen only with advanced fibrosis.
Conclusions: Fragmentation of percutaneous liver biopsy specimens is common and increases with progression from early to advanced fibrosis. Fibrotic specimens fragment more often and more extensively.