- Liver biopsies: This procedure is done at 3 months, 1 year, 3 years and 5 years after the transplant to determine the extent of scarring of the liver and to study the immune responses within the liver, the proportion of liver cells infected with HCV and the presence of scar-producing cells. The biopsy is done during a 1- to 2-day inpatient hospital stay. The patients are given a sedative medication through a vein before the procedure. The skin over the biopsy site is numbed and the biopsy needle is passed rapidly into and out of the liver to collect a small sample of liver tissue for study.