Cost-Effectiveness of Ultrasound-Guided Liver Biopsy Table 5

Cost-Effectiveness of Ultrasound-Guided Liver Biopsy

table 5

table 5. Results of the Decision Analysis and Sensitivity Analysis: Best-, Intermediate- (Baseline), and Worst-Case Scenarios from Payer’s Perspective for Ultrasound-Guided Liver Biopsy

Variable	Best	Intermediate	Worst

Frequency of major complication with “blind” biopsy	3%	2%	1%
Percent reduction of major complications by ultrasound	75%	60%	45%
Additional cost of ultrasound-guided biopsy	$50	$100	$150
Cost of major complication	$10,000	$5,000	$1,000
Results
Average cost of complications/patient
“Blind” liver biopsy	$329	$129	$39
US-guided liver biopsy	$97	$62	$27
Threshold value of cost of ultrasonography	$232	$67	$12
Additional cost or cost savings per patient with ultrasound-guided biopsies	($182)	$33	$138
Incremental cost per case of major complication prevented by the use of ultrasound guidance	($8,099)	$2,731	$30,728

*NOTE. Values in parentheses represent cost savings.*