DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2018.v06i11.082

Pages: 4617-4621

Mycotic infections are on the rise globally. Fine needle aspiration is a simple technique that can be useful for early diagnosis of fungal lesions at various sites. In this study, we have analysed retrospectively the spectrum of fungal lesions diagnosed on fine needle aspiration cytology over a period of 1 year in a government tertiary care hospital. 33 fungal lesions from different sites diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology were selected and their clinical details were recorded. The age of patients ranged from 31 to 80 years and there were 19 males and 14 females .Majority of the lesions were situated in the extremities and had history of minor trauma .Few cases had history of organ transplant and steroid intake. All aspirates were cellular and in most cases fungal hyphae were detected on initial examination. Smears showed inflammatory cells with foreign body giant cells. Majority of the lesions about 28 cases (85%) found to have definitive morphology and remaining 5 cases (15%) typing could not be made, yet fungal hyphae was highlighted in special stains and confirmed by culture and histopathology. Search for fungus should be done aggressively in smears with many foreign body giant cells and inflammatory cells. Preoperative cytological diagnosis obviates the need for biopsy, saves time and helps to plan proper treatment.