Clinical Usefulness of Transjugular Liver Biopsy in Patients With Hematological Diseases With Liver Dysfunction

Introduction Transjugular liver biopsy (TJLB) is indicated for patients in whom percutaneous liver biopsy is contraindicated, such as those with hematological diseases complicated by liver dysfunction. However, the clinical utility of TJLB in this group of patients has not been thoroughly investigated. The objective of this study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy of TJLB in patients with hematological diseases complicated by liver dysfunction. Methods We analyzed the data of patients who developed liver disorders during treatment for hematological diseases at our hospital and required tissue diagnosis via TJLB. The clinical features of patients were analyzed. Results Twenty-seven patients (mean age, 60.07 years; 12 men, 15 women) requiring tissue diagnoses via TJLB after developing liver disorders while undergoing treatment for hematological diseases were enrolled. One patient with autoimmune hemolytic anemia was diagnosed with drug-induced liver injury; two patients with amyloidosis had nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; one patient with acute promyelocytic leukemia had a drug-induced liver injury; one patient with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia had liver infiltration caused by an underlying disease; three patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura had autoimmune hepatitis; four patients with malignant lymphoma had liver infiltration by the underlying disease, and one patient with multiple myeloma had liver disorder caused by disseminated intravascular coagulation. Moreover, one patient had hepatitis B reactivation, another had hepatitis E, and six patients had a drug-induced liver injury. The treatment regimen was altered in cases of liver infiltration caused by the underlying disease, and the drug was changed for patients with drug-induced liver injury. Conclusion The etiology of liver disorders in patients with hematological diseases varies widely. Therefore, histological diagnosis using TJLB is useful to determine an appropriate therapeutic strategy for underlying hematological diseases.