Comparison of 19g FNA and 19g FNB Needles for EUS-LB

Chronic liver disorders (CLD) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality for individuals in the US. Though serologic analysis will often lead to a conclusive diagnosis, liver biopsy remains an important method for helping to determine the etiology and stage of LD. Percutaneous liver biopsy (PLB), transjugular liver biopsy (TLB) and surgical liver biopsy (SLB) are alternative methods for obtaining hepatic tissue. In recent years endoscopic ultrasound guided-liver biopsy (EUS-LB) has come to the forefront as a safe and effective method for obtaining tissue in CLD. There are several studies of the safety of EUS-LB as well as the adequacy of specimens obtained in this fashion. Most studies involve a 19-g needle, therefore in this study we hope to compare the tissue yields of a 19-g fine needle biopsy (FNB) needle, in comparison to conventional 19-g fine needle aspiration (FNA) needle. We predict that 19-g FNA and 19-g FNB needle will demonstrate similar diagnostic accuracy, with less visible blood artifact. Similarly, we predict the safety to be equal.