ASSESSMENT OF THE ROLE OF FINE NEEDLE ASPIRATION BIOPSY IN MANAGEMENT OF NECK LUMPS

Abstract

SUMMARY The neck lump are a common clinical problem because of many structures in the neck can arise from. The most common specific swellings in the neck are thyroid gland swellings which of 3 to 4 times more frequently in women than in men, and lymph nodes enlargement and to less extent salivary gland enlargement and thyroglossal cysts. Fifty patients of undiagnosed neck lumps presenting to Kasr el Aini out patient clinic were admitted to this study, 38 females and 12 males, with the age range from 12-65 years (mean age 41.5 years). All the patients included in this study were subjected to history of the lump as well as general history, clinical examination, blood pictures or other laboratory tests, ultrasonography of the neck and plain X-ray which ordered when needed. But all patient subjected to fine needle aspiration biopsy cytology. Fine needle aspiration biopsy cytology was performed for all 50 patients with an overall accuracy of 82% approaching that estimated in the literature that the over accuracy of fine needle aspiration biopsy cytology is -over 90%. False negative diagnosis of malignancy in our study was 14.3% which is less that that reported by Cusick and colleagues, 1990 reaching 17%. False positive diagnosis was zero% in our study as compared to that reported 0.3-3%.