Fine needle aspiration cytology of lymph node: experience of 2 university hospitals with conventional smears and liquid-based cytology
Garbar, C.; Remmelink, M.; Mascaux, C.
Acta Cytologica 52(4): 418-423
2008
ISSN/ISBN: 0001-5547 PMID: 18702358 Document Number: 621978
ObjectiveTo compare 2 different series of fine needle aspirations (FNA) performed by conventional smears (CS) and liquid-based cytology (TriPath PREP).Study DesignFrom January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2005, we selected 139 FNA samples of lymph node, if the diagnosis was histologically proven after the initial cytologic diagnosis. Samples came from 2 university hospitals from Brussels: UZ-Brussel (n=96) using liquid-based cytology (LBC) and Hospital Erasme ULB (n = 43) using CS.ResultsThe number of inadequate samples was greater for LBC than CS, but there was no statistical difference (17.7% vs. 4.7%, p=0.059). No differences were found between LBC and CS in sensitivity (respectively, 85.0% vs. 85.2%), specificity (84.2% vs. 85.7%) and efficiency (84.8% vs. 85.4%).ConclusionDespite the cost, the efficiency of lymph node FNA cytology is identical between the CS and LBC performed by the TriPath PREP system. The quality of the smears, both LBC and CS, depends mainly on practitioner dexterity. Nevertheless, one advantage of LBC is that it provides an ancillary technique to improve FNAC diagnosis. In the future, a combination of these technologies with FNAC alone could in some cases take the place of surgical lymph node excision.