Pediatric endoscopic ultrasound-guided liver biopsy: 3-year experience

Liver biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosing and staging liver diseases. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided liver biopsy (EUS-LB) has been reported in adults with equivalent or better safety profiles than percutaneous liver biopsies. The aim of this study was to retrospectively assess the safety and efficacy of EUS-LB in pediatric patients.

This was a retrospective chart review of consecutive pediatric patients undergoing EUS-LB at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center from March 2020 to April 2023. Patients ≤21 years old were included. EUS-LB was performed via fine-needle biopsy technique with transduodenal and/or transgastric approach. Histology was independently reviewed by one of two expert pathologists, including length (cm) and complete portal tract (CPT) number per the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) adequacy criteria. Demographics, clinical data, technical information, diagnostic success, and adverse events were recorded.

Eighty-three patients were included in the analysis, with various indications that required liver biopsy. All biopsies achieved diagnostic and technical success, with 77 (93%) meeting both AASLD criteria for adequacy. Most patients (57, 69%) underwent biopsy of both hepatic lobes, with an overall median of two needle passes. Total specimen length was a median of 7.9 cm (interquartile range [IQR] 5.2-10.3), and the median maximum intact specimen was 4.2 cm (IQR 3.1-5.4). The median CPT number was 24 (IQR 17-32) per patient. Four mild adverse events (5%) occurred; none involved bleeding.

EUS-LB was well tolerated and yielded samples that were technically and diagnostically successful in a pediatric population, with comparable safety to percutaneous liver biopsy.