Chapter 12: Table of Contents
Wedge Biopsy Technique
A wedge biopsy can be taken by placing through and through mattress sutures around the section of liver that is to be removed. When the lobe is thicker than the needle diameter, I pass a hypodermic needle through the liver parenchyma and pass suture through the needle in order to place the mattress sutures. The section of liver contained within the sutures can be transected using a blade or Metzembaum scissors. Assistance to maintain retraction or stabilize the liver lobe is helpful in deep-chested dogs or patients with small or friable liver lobes. Placing a stay suture in the stomach to retract it caudally and placing a moist laparotomy sponge cranial to the liver lobes (between the diaphragm and liver) might help the surgeon who works alone.
