Endoscopic ultrasound guided fine needle tissue acquisition: where we stand in 2013?

Since its introduction, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) guided fine needle aspiration and fine needle biopsy have become an indispensable tool for the diagnosis of lesions within the gastrointestinal tract and surrounding organs. It has proved to be an effective diagnostic method with high accuracy and low complication rates. Several factors can influence the accuracy and the diagnostic yield of this procedure including experience of the endosonographer, availability of onsite cytopathology services, the method of cytopathology preparation, the location and physical characteristics of the lesion, sampling techniques and the type and size of the needle used. In this review we will outline the recent studies evaluating EUS-guided tissue acquisition and will provide practical recommendations to maximize tissue yield.