Adequacy of Endoscopic Ultrasound Core Needle Biopsy Specimen of Nonmalignant Hepatic Parenchymal Disease

Background & AimsThe adequacy and diagnostic yield of hepatic parenchymal disease Trucut biopsy have not been determined. Therefore, our aim was to determine the adequacy of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)–guided Trucut liver biopsy for histopathologic evaluation to include the number of complete portal tracts contained per millimeter of acquired tissue.MethodsA single institution retrospective review was made of 9 prospectively identified patients who underwent a transgastric left liver lobe EUS-guided Trucut biopsy during a 36-month period.ResultsAdequate diagnostic material, to include complete portal tract number evaluation (median, 7) and connective tissue staining, was acquired to establish a histopathologic diagnosis in all 9 cases. Sixty-three complete portal tracts were established, resulting in 0.4 portal tracts per millimeter of tissue acquired. Findings established by EUS Trucut left liver lobe biopsy included mild steatosis (n = 4), cryptogenic cirrhosis (n = 2), chronic ductopenic biliary tract disease (n = 1), portal fibrosis with ductular proliferation (n = 1), and alcoholic cirrhosis with hemosiderosis (n = 1).ConclusionsEUS-guided Trucut left liver lobe biopsy yields suitable aggregate tissue for diagnostic purposes to establish the presence of chronic liver disease.