The Correlation Between Cytological Assessment of Head and Neck Swelling and Histopathology

Abstract

Head and also the neck swellings can come from lymph nodes, the thyroid, or the salivary glands. The FNAC is used for prognostic as well as the therapeutic purposes, helping surgeons decide on treatment. This study compared sensitivity, diagnostic accuracy and also the specificity of cytological diagnoses of head and the neck swellings with histopathology. This 2-year retrospective study included 500 pathology cases from Fakir Mohan Medical College and Hospital, Balasore, Odissa. The FNAC of head and neck tumors that were palpable corresponded with histopathological results. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the specificity, sensitivity and also the diagnostic accuracy of cytology. Lymph nodes (56.23%) had the most aspirates, followed by the thyroid (27.54%) and salivary gland (9.1%). Overall diagnostic accuracy, specificity, sensitivity of FNAC were 73.8%, 99.3%, and 94.5%, respectively. FNAC is considered as a reliable, accurate and also a cost-effective method for diagnosing palpable head and neck lesions, allowing the surgeon to monitor or modify his surgical approach.