FNAC of tubercular lymph node-An alternative to excision biopsy

Abstract

Background: Tuberculosis is a major health problem in our country, India. Tuberculer involvement of cervical lymph node is very common. Diagnosis of tubercular lymphadenitis can be made by using various biochemical, micro bacteriological laboratory methods. Above all these methods stands Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of affected lymph node which is simple, quick, easy and effective method to diagnose tubercular lymphadenopathy. Aim: This study is done to 1. Study various cytological patterns of tubercular lymphadenitis & find out the AFB positivity of such cases. 2. To find out how far it can obviate the biopsy of tubercular lymph nodes for diagnosis. Material and Methods: Total 465 suspected cervical tubercular lymphadenopathy patients of were included in study. Detailed clinical history regarding duration of swelling, sites, size, consistency, and mobility were taken into account. Fine needle aspirations were done and the smears were air-dried and stained with May- Grunwald Giemsa (MGG) and Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) stain for acid fast bacilli (AFB). Result: During this period of five years 465 patients of cervical lymphadenopathy were diagnosed as tubercular lymphadenitis. AFB positivity was 55.2%. Conclusion: FNAC can be used as diagnostic tool alone in case of tubercular lymphadenitis. Keywords: FNAC, Z-N staining, Tubercular