eenaa Natchimuthu 1 , Renuga Ramasamy 2
im of the study is to1. Evaluate the usefulness of Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) as a diagnostic tool in cases of cervical lymphadenopathy. 2. Analyse the various cytomorphological presentations of tuberculous lymphadenopathy. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this study, a spectrum of lesions was diagnosed by fine needle aspiration of lymph nodes of 56 patients presenting with cervical lymphadenopathy. The diseases were categorised into suppurative lymphadenitis, granulomatous lymphadenitis, metastatic tumour deposits and lymphoproliferative disorder. Various morphological presentations of tuberculous lymphadenitis were also analysed. RESULTS From this study, it is observed that the most common diagnosis of cervical lymphadenopathy is reactive lymphadenitis (34%), followed by granulomatous lymphadenitis (30%). Also, among the tuberculosis cases, it is found that majority of cases had only granulomas (45%) followed by caseous necrosis with granulomas (28%). CONCLUSION Knowing the usefulness of FNAC, it is concluded that it is a valuable, noninvasive, reliable and cost-effective technique in such a high-risk population. It also helps the clinician to start treatment based on FNAC findings and do the necessary at the earliest
