Hepatitis C
A test called a liver biopsy can show whether a person's liver has been damaged, or how badly it has been damaged, by Hepatitis C. However, there are some risks from the procedure. In a biopsy, a doctor takes a small piece out of the patient's liver so that he can test it. There are three major changes to the liver that a biopsy usually shows. One is that lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) show up in the liver tissue. Another is that lymphoid follicles (small masses or swellings) show up in the portal triad, a part of the liver. The third is changes to the bile ducts (these carry bile, which is made in the liver and is needed to help a person digest their food, to other parts of the body). Many blood tests are available which try to measure how much damage there is to a patient's liver, in order to avoid the need for a biopsy and its risks.