Ultrasound-guided percutaneous biopsy is used extensively in daily clinical practice for the pathologic confirmation of both focal and diffuse diseases of the abdominal viscera. As a guidance tool, US has a number of clear advantages over computerized tomography or magnetic resonance imaging: fewer false-negative biopsies, lack of ionizing radiation, portability, relatively short procedure time, real-time intra-procedural visualization of the biopsy needle, ability to guide the procedure in almost any anatomic plane, and relatively low cost.

Notably, Ultrasound-guided percutaneous biopsy is widely used to retrieve tissue specimens in cases of hepatic lesions. However, beginners in particular find US percutaneous biopsy difficult to perform in abdominal organs other than the liver; indeed, a full understanding of the entire US percutaneous biopsy process and specific considerations for specific abdominal organs is necessary to safely obtain adequate specimens.