Evaluation of peripheral lymphadenopathy by fine needle aspiration cytology: A three year study at tertiary center

Abstract

Background: Lymphadenopathy is a common presenting symptom in various diseases. Objective: The present study was undertaken to evaluate the usefulness of fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) as a diagnostic tool in cases of lymphadenopathy, to find the frequency and cause of lymph node enlargement in patients of different age groups and analyze the different cytomorphological patterns associated with various lymphadenopathies. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted in the department of pathology, Shri M.P. Shah Medical College, Jamnagar from June 2008 to July 2011. FNAC of the enlarged lymph nodes was performed with informed consent of the patient. Totally 1022 patients of lymphadenopathy who underwent FNAC were divided into three groups: Group I (0-20 years), Group II (21-50 years) and Group III (>51 years). Results: Maximum number of patients with lymphadenopathy was in Group II: 502 (49.11%), followed by Group I: 378 (36.98%) and in Group III there were 142 (13.90%) cases. Most common causes of lymphadenopathy in different groups were found to be: In Group I: Reactive hyperplasia 198 cases (52.38%), Group II: Tubercular lymphadenitis 232 cases (46.21%) and Group III: Metastatic carcinoma 80 cases (56.33%). Conclusion: It was concluded that different etiological factors play a role in causation of lymphadenopathy in different age groups and that aspiration cytology provided a reliable, safe, rapid and economical method of screening these patients with accuracy.