Comparative diagnostic efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided percutaneous transhepatic biopsy and endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy for gallbladder tumors

The objective of this study was to compare the diagnostic efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder biopsy (PTGB) with endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) in the assessment of gallbladder tumors. We conducted a retrospective, single-center study involving 101 patients diagnosed with gallbladder cancer who underwent either PTGB or EUS-FNA between January 2019 and December 2022. The study cohort was divided into two groups: 52 patients underwent PTGB, and 49 underwent EUS-FNA. Clinical data, diagnostic outcomes, patient demographics, and complications were systematically documented. The sensitivity, accuracy, and incidence of complications were evaluated for both groups. The sensitivity and accuracy rates were 94.23% and 94.23% for PTGB compared to 97.82% and 97.96% for EUS-FNA, with no significant difference between the two techniques. However, EUS-FNA was associated with significantly lower rate of adverse reactions (2.04%) compared to PTGB (15.38%). Both PTGB and EUS-FNA exhibited high diagnostic efficacy for gallbladder tumors. However, EUS-FNA demonstrated a significantly lower incidence of complications, making it a compelling alternative to PTGB, especially when percutaneous biopsy is unsuccessful or not feasible. High-quality prospective, multicenter trials are recommended to further validate these findings and to refine biopsy guidelines for gallbladder tumors.