From the Guidelines

The ideal number of portal tracts in a liver biopsy sample is at least 11.

A biopsy sample should be at least 20 mm long and obtained with a 16-gauge needle to ensure sufficient tissue for accurate diagnosis 1.
The presence of at least 11 portal tracts is recommended to avoid underestimation of disease severity, including fibrosis stage and grade of inflammation 1.
A biopsy sample with fewer than 11 portal tracts may result in incorrect diagnosis, grading, and staging of non-neoplastic, diffuse parenchymal liver disease 1.

The size and integrity of the biopsy sample are crucial, particularly when investigating the stage of fibrosis in chronic liver disease or diseases that affect the liver in a variable way, such as biliary disease 1.
The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) recommends a biopsy sample that is long and wide, with an ideal size of 3 cm long after formalin fixation, obtained with a 16 G needle 1.
Multiple passes may be required to obtain an adequate specimen, especially with transjugular biopsy devices, which have a narrower gauge 1.

From the Research

The ideal number of portal tracts in a liver biopsy sample is a topic of discussion among researchers, with various studies providing different insights 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
A systematic review of the quality of liver biopsy specimens suggests that an optimal liver biopsy specimen should contain more than 11 complete portal tracts (CPTs) 2.
Another study found that 16G biopsies should be at least 15 mm long to facilitate adequate histological assessment by examining at least six portal tracts 3.
A study on EUS-guided Tru-cut biopsy of benign liver disease defined an adequate specimen as 6 or more complete portal tracts 4.
A retrospective analysis of 250 echoassisted percutaneous liver biopsies found that 87% of cases had 8-10 portal spaces, and 69% had at least 11 portal spaces 5.
A study on the importance of specimen size in the diagnosis and staging of chronic viral hepatitis found that cases with less than 11 portal tracts were associated with F3, and cases with 11 or more portal tracts with F2 6.

The number of portal tracts in a liver biopsy sample is an important factor in determining the quality of the specimen 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
A minimum of 11 portal tracts is recommended for an optimal liver biopsy specimen 2.
The length of the biopsy sample is also an important factor, with longer samples tend to have more portal tracts 3, 5, 6.
The relationship between the number of portal tracts and the staging of chronic hepatitis is significant, with more portal tracts associated with more accurate staging 6.