Fine-needle aspiration biopsy for the measurement of hepatic iron concentration.

The potential application of fine-needle aspiration liver biopsy in the documentation of hepatic iron overload has been assessed in iron-loaded rats. Fine-needle aspiration and standard liver biopsy specimens were obtained from three groups of animals supplemented with oral and parenteral iron for 2 to 6 mo. The mean dry weights of standard and fine-needle biopsy specimens were 7.