What is a liver biopsy and will such a procedure require hospitalization?
A liver biopsy is usually performed as an outpatient in a hospital or a GI clinic. The patient is instructed to have nothing by mouth for at least 6 hours prior to the procedure. After a sedative and local anesthetic is administered, a needle is inserted through the skin and into the body of the liver. Small pieces of liver tissue are extracted for microscopic examination. A pressure dressing is applied to the site. The patient is monitored for signs and symptoms of bleeding during and usually discharged within 3-6 hours. How is ALD treated? The most important aspect of treatment in ALD is the immediate and total abstinence from alcohol. It is also critical that the patient’s nutritional intake is adjusted to maintain a high caloric, high protein diet. This does not need to be accomplished within the confines of a hospital, although efforts to enroll these patients in a detoxification program are clearly justified. Hospitalization may be necessary for those patients who have extrahepat
