Best practices in endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration

Over the past 2 decades, endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration has evolved to become an indispensable tool for tissue acquisition in patients with gastrointestinal tumors. The technique is useful for biopsy of mucosal and submucosal lesions in which prior endoscopic biopsies have been nondiagnostic; to sample peri-intestinal structures such as lymph nodes; and to sample masses in the pancreas, liver, adrenal glands, gallbladder, and bile duct. Also, with the advent of neoadjuvant therapies for diseases such as pancreatic cancer, most patients require a tissue diagnosis before initiating treatment. This review provides a perspective on technical issues that are key for best practices in endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration.