DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2018.v06i11.017

Pages: 4249-4256

To observe the cytomorphological patterns in patients presenting with enlarged cervical lymph nodes, diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC); their distribution with respect to age and gender; and to determine the accuracy of FNAC as a diagnostic procedure in cases of cervical lymphadenopathy. Out of all patients presenting with cervical lymphadenopathy from June 2017 to June 2018, in the Department of Pathology, Index medical college, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, 100 consecutive cases were enrolled in this study, following exclusion of all cases where FNAC smears were inadequate or suboptimal for diagnostic interpretation. Histopathological examination was conducted on small excision biopsy specimens / radical neck dissection where ever possible and diagnostic efficacy of FNAC was evaluated. Overall age range of the enrolled patients, presenting with cervical lymph nodes was 1 to 72 years, mean age being 35.7 years with male-female ratio, 1.6:1. Out of 100 cases, benign and malignant lesions comprised 77 and 23 cases, respectively. Most common Benign lesion was reactive hyperplasia (29%), while squamous cell carcinoma was the most common malignant lesion. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value & the diagnostic accuracy was 100%, 91.67%, 92%, 100% and 95.7% respectively. FNAC in the diagnoses of inflammatory and neoplastic diseases serves as a reliable, low cost, rapid diagnostic tool of reasonably good accuracy that can influence patient management in terms of early diagnoses, initiation of medical intervention and prevention of unnecessary surgery in patients.