MORPHOLOGICAL SPECTRUM AND ACCURACY OF FINE NEEDLE ASPIRATION CYTOLOGY IN TUBERCULOUS LYMPHADENITIS

Background: Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is an easy and minimally invasive procedure which can help in the diagnosis of tuberculous lymphadenitis. The aim of this study was to determine the morphological spectrum and accuracy of FNAC to diagnose tuberculous lymphadenitis. Material Methods: This prospective study was carried out at Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rawalpindi, Pakistan from January 1991 to December 1991. Patients with superficial lymphadenopathy were included. FNAC was performed on all the patients presenting. Lymph node biopsy for histopathology was also performed. The data was recorded on a proforma made specifically for this purpose. Specificity and sensitivity of FNAC was calculated, taking histopathology of biopsy specimens as gold standard. Results: Out of 85 cases, granulomatous changes were seen in 35 cases on fine needle aspiration diagnosis made prior to surgery. On histology a diagnosis of tuberculous lymphadenitis was made in 44 cases. Comparing the 35 cases showing granulomatous changes on FNAC smears, 34(97%) cases complied with the histopathological diagnosis. One false positive and 10 false negative cases on FNAC smear occurred. This gave the sensitivity of 77% and specificity of 98%. Conclusion: FNAC is a sensitive and very specific test for the diagnosis of tuberculous lymphadenitis. Its sensitivity was 77% and specificity 98% in our study