The short answer
A liver biopsy takes a small sample of tissue from the liver so it can be examined. It is most often done with a needle through the skin of the upper belly, often guided by ultrasound or a CT scan. Pain in the belly or right shoulder afterward is common and usually mild. Call 911 for trouble breathing, chest pain, fainting, or pain that is severe or lasts more than a few hours.
A liver biopsy takes a small sample of liver tissue for examination.
It is most often done with a needle through the skin, often guided by ultrasound or a CT scan.
You may be told not to eat or drink for a set time beforehand, and you may have blood tests to check clotting.
Mild pain in the upper right belly or right shoulder is common and usually goes away within a few hours.
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This page is for anyone who has been told they need a liver biopsy. It covers how it is done, how to prepare, how it feels, and which symptoms afterward need care right away.
The short version
A liver biopsy takes a sample of tissue from the liver so it can be examined. A pathologist looks at the tissue with a microscope. MedlinePlus says the biopsy helps diagnose many liver diseases and can help find cancer, infections, and the cause of abnormal liver enzyme levels on blood tests.
How it is done
Most of the time the test is done in a hospital or a procedure unit. You may be given medicine to prevent pain or to calm you.
NIDDK says the most common type is through the skin of the upper belly:
- You lie on your back with your right hand under your head, and stay as still as you can.
- The provider finds the right spot for the needle. This is often done with ultrasound.
- The skin is cleaned and numbing medicine is injected.
- A small cut is made and the biopsy needle is put in.
- You are told to hold your breath while the sample is taken.
- The needle is removed quickly. Pressure is applied, and a bandage is placed.
It can also be done through a vein in the neck, using X-rays to guide a thin tube, or during certain surgeries.
How to prepare
Tell your provider about bleeding problems, medicine allergies, whether you are pregnant, and every medicine you take, including herbs, supplements and medicines bought without a prescription. Blood tests are sometimes done to check your blood's ability to clot. MedlinePlus says people are told not to eat or drink for 8 hours beforehand. NIDDK says instructions about fasting vary. Follow the ones your own team gives you.
NIDDK says most people cannot drive home after a liver biopsy, so plan for a ride home either way. If you have sedation, you will need someone to drive you home. MedlinePlus says not to drive, operate machinery, or make important or legal decisions for 24 hours after sedation.
How it feels
You will feel a stinging pain when the numbing medicine is injected. The biopsy needle may feel like deep pressure and dull pain. Some people feel this pain in the shoulder.
Afterward
NIDDK says pain is the most common complication, often in the upper right belly or right shoulder. In most cases it is mild and goes away within a few hours. Doctors often recommend avoiding intense activity and heavy lifting for up to 1 week.
The risks
MedlinePlus lists a collapsed lung, complications from the sedation, injury to the gallbladder, kidney or bowel, and internal bleeding. NIDDK says bleeding occurs in about 1 out of every 500 liver biopsies, and severe bleeding in 1 out of every 2,500 to 10,000. It says that pain that is severe or lasts more than a few hours could be a sign of internal bleeding.
While you wait for results
The wait can be the hardest part. Ask when the results should be ready, how you will get them, and who to call if you have not heard by then. See how long biopsy results take and waiting for biopsy results.
When to get help sooner
NIDDK says to seek medical help right away for any of the symptoms below after a liver biopsy.
- Call 911 or go to the emergency room if you have problems breathing or shortness of breath, pain in your chest, fainting or feeling you may pass out, a racing or pounding heart, or stool that contains blood or is black and tarry. Go too if the biopsy site bleeds heavily, soaks through the dressing, or keeps bleeding despite firm pressure. Do the same for pain in your belly or shoulder that is severe or lasts more than a few hours, or dizziness or weakness that comes on suddenly or does not pass when you lie down. Do not drive yourself.
- Get medical help right away if you have oozing, pain, redness, or swelling at the biopsy site, fever, nausea or vomiting, or swelling or bloating of your belly. Call the number you were given. If you cannot reach anyone, go to the emergency room.
- Call your care team right away, day or night, if you are having chemotherapy and your temperature reaches 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, or the lower number your team gave you. The CDC calls a fever during chemotherapy a medical emergency. Call right away too for chills, a sore throat, or other signs of infection, even with a normal temperature. If you cannot reach your team, go to the emergency room and say you are on chemotherapy. See fever during chemotherapy.
Sources
Common questions
How is a liver biopsy done?
NIDDK says a biopsy through the skin is the most common type. MedlinePlus describes it this way: you lie on your back, the provider finds the right spot, often with ultrasound, the skin is numbed, and a needle is put in to take the sample. You are told to hold your breath while the sample is taken.
Does a liver biopsy hurt?
MedlinePlus says you will feel a stinging pain when the numbing medicine is injected. The biopsy needle may feel like deep pressure and dull pain, and some people feel it in the shoulder.
How long does it take to recover?
NIDDK says doctors often recommend avoiding intense activity and heavy lifting for up to 1 week. Follow the instructions you are given.
What are the risks?
MedlinePlus lists a collapsed lung, complications from sedation, injury to the gallbladder, kidney or bowel, and internal bleeding. NIDDK says bleeding occurs in about 1 out of every 500 liver biopsies.
How long do results take?
NIDDK says biopsy results typically take a few days or longer to come back.
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Last updated: 2026-11-11Next planned review: 2027-11-11
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Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes, and this is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and then compared with the sources listed on it, looking for statements those sources do not back up. That check is not a sentence-by-sentence record and can miss errors. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We do not hold pages back waiting for a reviewer. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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