DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2015.v03i01.103

Pages: 518-526

The aim of the study is to determine the diagnostic value and accuracy of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of salivary gland lesions and to detect the most challenging lesions that cause difficulties cytopathologically. Salivary gland FNAs and postoperative histopathological diagnosis of 77 cases evaluated in the Department of Pathology at Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital in a seven-year period were reviewed and compared retrospectively. Forty-nine (63.6%) FNAs were diagnosed as benign, 7 (9.1%) were diagnosed as suspicious for malignancy, 2 (2.6%) were diagnosed as malignant, and 19 (24.7%) were reported as inadequate cytology. Sixty-five (85%) cases were benign, and 12 (15%) were malignant histopathologically. Four cases that were reported as inadequate cytology were diagnosed histopathologically as malignant. Forty-six FNAs were true negative(TN), three were false negative(FN), five were true positive(TP), and four were false positive(FP). Specific diagnoses were reported in 39 (67.2%) FNAs. Thirty-two (82%) of them were verified histopathologically, 7 (18%) were incompatible with the histopathological diagnoses. The rate of true positivity of FNA was 8.6%, true negativity was 79.3%, false negativity was 5.2%, false positivity was 6.9%, sensitivity was 62.5%, specificity was 92%, positive predictive value was 55.6%, negative predictive value was 93.9%. The diagnostic accuracy was estimated as 87.9%. It is noteworthy that sufficiency of the cytological material, the experience and knowledge of the pathologist, and a comprehensive clinical and radiological findings are crutial for obtaining a higher rate of diagnostic accuracy in salivary gland FNA.