Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Liver Biopsy in Clinical Practice

Abstract

Background and Aims: Liver biopsies are traditionally performed using percutaneous, transjugular, or surgical approaches. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided liver biopsy is a new modality to sample liver parenchyma. This technique allows sampling of both liver lobes and obviates the need for sampling error. However, there is paucity of literature demonstrating that EUS-guided liver biopsy provides adequate tissue sample for histologic analysis. This study aimed to review the experience of 2 large tertiary care centers to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of EUS-guided liver biopsy. Methods: All patients undergoing EUS-guided liver biopsy between March 2018 and October 2019 between 2 tertiary care centers were included in this retrospective study. The main outcomes of the study included technical success of EUS-guided liver biopsy, details of the specimen (length of the specimen, number of complete portal tracts), and adverse events of EUS-guided liver biopsy. Results: A total of 229 patients underwent EUS-guided liver biopsy at the 2 tertiary care centers. There was 100% technical success. Of the 229 patients, 226 patients (98.7%) had adequate tissue for histopathological evaluation with a mean total length of 3.20 cm and complete portal tracts of 20.2. Overall, 2.6% of patients had adverse events. Conclusion: Our study illustrates that EUS-guided liver biopsy provides adequate specimen for histologic analysis and is a safe, viable alternative to other methods of liver biopsy.

Keywords

• Endoscopic ultrasound-guided liver biopsy
• EUS
• Liver biopsy