Aspiration biopsies of fresh disease-free bovine hepatic liver were performed with three commercially available, small-gauge biopsy needles. A syringe was used to create a negative pressure when using Chiba and Sure-cut needles. A syringe was not used when using PercuCut needles which create an internal negative pressure equivalent to a 1.5 ml syringe when the stylet is partially withdrawn. The PercuCut and Chiba needle yielded a significantly larger specimen size than the Sure-Cut needle. There was no significant difference in sample size between the PercuCut and Chiba needles. All samples were of diagnostic quality.