BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of tissue adhesive butylcyanocrylate in liver biopsy. METHOD: Forty rats were divided in two groups: one group included heparin-injected rats; the second group was not injected with heparin. Liver punction was performed with a 14-gauge needle. Half of the animals in each group was treated with tissue adhesive butylcyanocrylate and the other half had no treatment. RESULTS: The heparin-injected rats treated with adhesive kept their initial hemoglobin and hematocrit levels and had minimal amount of blood in the abdominal cavity. On the other hand, non treated heparin-injected rats presented a significant drop in hemoglobin and hematocrit levels and had a moderate volume of blood in the cavity. CONCLUSIONS: The tissue adhesive butylcyanocrylate showed be efficient as a hemostatic agent.
Liver biopsy; Tissue adhesive; Rats
