Verifiable diagnosis of the puncture of the fine needle aspiration in head and neck neoplasms
Comeche, C.; Barona, R.; Navarro, T.; Armengot, M.; Basterra, J.
Acta Otorrinolaringologica Espanola 44(5): 381-384
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0001-6519 PMID: 8129974 Document Number: 411973
We have studied 103 fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsies as diagnostic technique on patients with head and neck tumours: 55 FNA on thyroid gland, 35 in cervical lymph nodes and 13 on salivary glands. The results obtained by PAAF were coincident in 90.8% of the cases with histology and clinical evolution of the patient. Specificity was of 98%, sensibility to detect the tumour presence 84%, with a positive predictive value of 95%. No complications were found in any of the patients. We conclude that PAAF is an excellent first line method for diagnostic investigation of palpable masses in head and neck, and allows us to reduced the number of surgical manoeuvres.