Liver disease in Malta : evaluation of 113 percutaneous liver biopsies

Abstract

Our aim was to systematically evaluate the causes of liver disease in patients presenting at St. Luke's Hospital to firms with interest in hepatology. One hundred and thirteen patients underwent percutaneous liver biopsy over an 18 month period. Cirrhosis or aggressive chronic liver disease were diagnosed in 30 patients; the predominant aetiologies were alcohol, hepatitis B, cryptogenic and non-A, non-B hepatitis. Twenty-nine patients (predominantly males) had biopsy-proven alcoholic hepatitis; more than 50 biopsies were performed for a variety of conditions including primary or secondary malignancy, biliary tract obstruction, drug hepatitis, infiltrative disorders, or diabetes mellitus. Our study has identified the preponderance of alcoholic liver disease, highlighted the relative importance of hepatitis B, and illustrated the diagnostic usefulness of percutaneous liver biopsies in Maltese patients.