RIGHT LOBE VERSUS LEFT LOBE LIVER BIOPSY UNDER ENDOSCOPIC ULTRASOUND GUIDANCE: A PROSPECTIVE COMPARATIVE STUDY

Liver biopsy is the gold standard method for accurate assessment in the diagnosis and staging of liver diseases. A substantial number of liver diseases with diagnostic dilemmas after non-invasive tests are conclusively diagnosed by histopathology.  EUS guided liver biopsy (EUS-LB) is currently emerging as a cost effective, safe and well tolerated procedure and helps in more representative sampling. Various advancements have since been made in the technique of EUS-LB to maximize specimen quality. Studies have been published based on needle size, needle type, suction technique and number of needle actuation. Till date limited study exists as to whether one should perform left lobe or a right lobe liver biopsy. EUS-LB can be performed from either transgastric or a transduodenal station and multiple studies published till date have reported results from left lobe biopsy. Hence this study was planned comparing right versus left lobe EUS-guided liver biopsy in terms of adequacy of tissue sample and adverse event profile. It will also allow us to establish whether bilobar liver biopsy has any added advantage over either lobe (right/left) liver biopsy.