Efficacy of Endoscopic Ultrasound Guided Liver Biopsy Using Dynamic Wet Technique

Overview

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided liver biopsy (EUS-LB) can overcome many shortcomings of percutaneous liver biopsy and TJLB. Targeted and non-targeted liver biopsies can be done through this biopsy. It can be done in patients with international normalized ratio (INR) up to 2. It has less tissue fragmentation compared with TJLB. Needle entering the liver can be viewed in real-time (intrahepatic vessels and bile duct can be spared from injury) (Sharma et al., 2023). Both lobes of the liver can be accessed. It provides minimal patient discomfort. EUS-LB can access liver lesions that may not be safely accessible by routine US or computed tomography (tenBerge et al., 2002). It provides better results in obese individuals compared with percutaneous liver biopsy. It is safe in pregnant females requiring liver biopsy (Khare et al., 2024). Despite these advantages, EUS-LB is largely limited to tertiary care centers and its use is not yet widespread. This may be because, since its inception, numerous variations in needle shape, needle size, and, most notably, sampling techniques have been adopted. However, no consensus protocol for acquisition has been recognized, leading to poor procedural standardization and wide ranges of reported outcomes in sample quality and diagnostic yield. As such, there is a substantial need for a uniform technique that will safely maximize diagnostic performance with minimal needle passes (Khare et al., 2024).

Conditions