Hepatocentesis is the abbreviation for liver puncture biopsy. The purpose of liver puncture is to understand the etiology and pathogenesis of liver disease, in order to determine the diagnosis and provide a basis for the development of treatment programs. In the case of hepatitis B, the purpose of hepatocentesis is to evaluate the degree of liver inflammation and fibrosis in order to guide the antiviral treatment for hepatitis B. Especially for hepatitis B patients who are ready to receive interferon therapy, the significance of liver puncture is even greater, because the degree of inflammation in the liver is correlated with the effectiveness of interferon therapy. The liver is a silent organ, and when there is mild inflammatory activity in the liver, it can show no clinical signs, so that there may be a situation in which the clinical manifestations do not coincide with the pathologic changes in the liver. For example, in some cases, liver inflammation potentially develops and lasts for a long period of time, and although there is no obvious clinical manifestation, liver pathology shows heavy lesions after liver puncture. Generally speaking, liver tissue lesions are also heavier in cases with heavy clinical manifestations; however, liver tissue lesions may not be light in patients with light clinical manifestations, therefore, liver puncture is very important in determining the severity of the disease. Under what circumstances do hepatitis B patients need to undergo liver puncture? Not all hepatitis B virus-infected patients need to undergo liver puncture. Whether liver puncture is needed should be considered according to the patient’s age, HBVDNA quantification, liver function and hepatitis B two halves and other aspects. For chronic hepatitis B virus infected patients, regardless of “major and minor triple positive”, if the liver function is persistently or recurrently abnormal, and the viral quantification is more than 1000 copies / ml, it is necessary to consider having a liver puncture, especially those who are going to receive interferon antiviral therapy. So, in the case of normal liver function is it not necessary to do liver puncture? In this case, the decision depends on the quantification of the hepatitis B virus, the E antigen status and the age of the patient. If the patient is a “minor triple positive” patient, positive for Hepatitis B DNA, older than 40 years of age, and with an ALT level at the upper limit of the normal range, liver puncture should be considered, as these patients may have underlying hepatitis activity. It is important to note here that liver puncture is not necessary in patients who have already been diagnosed with cirrhosis or who already have more evidence supporting cirrhosis. To diagnose liver disease, imaging and serology have their own advantages and can reflect the extent of the lesion from different perspectives. As far as current diagnostic methods are concerned, the results of liver biopsy, i.e. liver histology, are the most reliable and the “gold standard” for the diagnosis of liver disease. What are the contraindications to liver puncture? People with bleeding tendency, such as hemophilia, platelets less than 70×109/L, and prothrombin activity (PTA%) <50%, are the main contraindications to liver puncture; other contraindications include severe jaundice, and large amount of ascites. When doctors mention liver puncture, there are many patients who are nervous and apprehensive, worrying that liver puncture will be dangerous or that liver puncture will be harmful to the liver. This is due to a lack of necessary knowledge about liver puncture. In fact, liver puncture is generally quite safe, although some complications may occur, but as long as the indications and contraindications are well mastered, the operation is skillful, and the preoperative preparations are well done, most of the complications can be avoided. As for the damage to the liver, it is actually very slight or even negligible. The liver tissue taken by the hepatic puncture needle is only 1-3cm in length and about 2mm in width, which is "a drop in the bucket" for the whole liver, and the liver has strong regenerative ability and can heal very quickly. Common complications of liver puncture include local pain, epigastric discomfort, nausea, drop in blood pressure, etc., which can be relieved soon after treatment.