Soram Gayatri Gatphoh1, Badrinath Venkatesh2, Khagokpam Ambala Devi3
BACKGROUND
The axilla is a triangular space between the lateral wall of thorax and the upper
part of arm. The component of axilla can give rise to different diseases ranging
from developmental and reactive to neoplastic. Various mesenchymal tissues
present in the axilla can give rise to different lesions. Fine needle aspiration
cytology (FNAC) is a safe, quick, easy, and a cheap diagnostic tool to decipher the
benign or the malignant nature of the swelling. Imaging techniques and FNAC,
both used individually or coupled, improve the accuracy of diagnosis and help in
avoiding unnecessary invasive procedures. The most common lymph node lesion
in axilla is benign reactive lymph node hyperplasia. It is caused by inflammation
of the lymph nodes or the adjacent organs, such as the breast or lung.
METHODS
The present study is a retrospective review of swellings aspirated from axillary
region. FNAC was performed following strict aseptic precautions. Inadequate
aspirates were excluded from the study. The aspirated sample was blown on clean
glass slides and smears were made using squash preparation. Smears were fixed
using air dried and alcohol fixation method. Smears were stained with Giemsa
stain, and the alcohol - fixed smears were stained with haematoxylin and eosin
and Papanicolaou stains. Cytological smears were evaluated for adequacy,
cellularity, type of cells, arrangement of cells and nuclear as well as cytoplasmic
features.
RESULTS
A total of 191 axillary swelling were aspirated during the study period. Out of
which 148 (77.5 %) cases were females and 43 (22.5 %) cases were males. Most
common lesion was lipoma followed by axillary tail of breast.
CONCLUSIONS
Various pathological processes may affect the axilla. There is overlap in the
imaging findings of these diseases. FNAC is a diagnostic tool which is required for
conformation of diagnosis of axillary lesions.
