Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) as a Diagnostic Procedure in Palpable Lesions of Head and Neck Region

Abstract

This study is done to analyse the cytomorphological features of different head and neck lesions, classify them and to evaluate diagnostic accuracy and limitation of FNA of head and neck lesions with cyto-histological correlation. Material and Methods: The material consists of 250 cases of palpable lesions of head and neck region. Fine needle aspiration smears were taken and stained with Giemsa, PAP and H&E stains. FNAC results were analysed according to anatomical location and all the lesions were classified into inflammatory and neoplastic pathology. The FNA diagnosis was correlated with available subsequent histopathological diagnosis. Results: Among 250 cases, most of the lesions were from lymph nodes (40.8%) and thyroid (36%). Out of 250 FNAs of head and neck lesions, histopathological evaluation was done in 64 cases (25.6%). The sensitivity of FNAC in this study was found 88% and specificity was 94.8%. The overall diagnostic accuracy found to be 92.1% with positive and negative predictive values of 91.6%, 92.5% respectively. Conclusion: Our study found that FNAC is a simple, quick, inexpensive, and minimally invasive technique to diagnose different types of head and neck swellings. It could differentiate the infective process from neoplastic one and avoids unnecessary surgeries.