In some circumstances, a liver biopsy is extremely valuable, helpful, and perhaps even necessary, but in other circumstances non-invasive diagnostics can be used to avoid liver biopsy. These non-invasive alternatives potentially provide more information than biopsy, through their ability to assess changes throughout the liver, rather than only in the relatively small amount of liver tissue typically obtained from a liver biopsy.

From blood tests to imaging, alternatives to biopsy exist. Healthcare providers should increase the number of diagnoses and decrease the number of liver biopsies using non-invasive diagnostics.