How is autoimmune hepatitis diagnosed?

If physicians suspect autoimmune hepatitis, they will perform a physical examination, and do certain blood tests to gauge liver function, whether a virus is present or not, and to check for the presence of certain auto-antibodies which characterize autoimmune hepatitis. They will also perform a liver biopsy to determine what liver damage exists.

Hepatologists or interventional radiologists perform biopsy in most suspected cases to secure the diagnosis and stage the degree of liver damage. After giving the patient a local anesthesia, the physician inserts a needle into the liver, guided by ultrasound imaging, and removes a small tissue sample. Pathologists examine the sample to verify whether the condition is autoimmune hepatitis, and if so, if the liver has been damaged.