Intraoperative liver biopsy with the loop electrosurgical excision procedure in patients with gynecologic malignancies

When patients with gynecologic malignancies undergo exploratory surgery, hepatic lesions suggestive of malignancy are occasionally encountered, In 18 patients undergoing laparotomy for gynecologic cancer, visible liver lesions suggestive of malignancy were biopsied with the loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP). Hemostatic suture placement was required in 3 of these 18 patients, and in 15, hemostasis was achieved with electrocautery only, Three of the 18 biopsies (16.7%) were positive for malignancy, No intraoperative or postoperative complications were attributed to the liver biopsy, One patient required postoperative transfusion of 2 units packed red blood cells, A new technique is described using the LEEP to remove suspicious lesions during exploratory laparotomy in patients with gynecologic malignancies. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.