Manali Swarnasri1 , Naga Kalyani Pathuri2 , Mohmed Chandmoula3 , Triveni Bhopal4
BACKGROUND The diagnosis of articular pathology has been dependent on imaging techniques. But many lesions may require early aspiration cytology for a definitive diagnosis. These include lesions of the joint, joint space and periarticular soft tissues that have a propensity to produce mass lesions. Fine needle aspiration cytology can provide a rapid and reliable diagnosis, often at considerably less cost. We wanted to study cytomorphology of articular and periarticular lesions by fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). METHODS The present study is a retrospective study done over a period of 1 year from July 2018 to July 2019 in Cytology section of Upgraded Department of Pathology, Osmania General Hospital, a tertiary care hospital. A total of 89 cases were evaluated during this period from different articular and periarticular sites. RESULTS In the present study out of 89 cases, there were 50 (56.1%) cases of ganglion cysts, 10 (11.2%) cases of bursal cysts, 9 (10.1%) cases of synovial cysts, 8 (8.9%) cases of giant cell tumors of tendon sheath, 6 (6.7%) cases of spindle cell lesions, 5 (5.6%) cases of acute suppurative lesions and 1 (1.1%) case of gouty arthropathy. The male to female ratio (M: F) was 1.2:1 and were predominantly found in third decade of life (21-30 years). Most of the lesions occurred around wrist joint followed by around knee joint and interphalangeal joints of fingers. CONCLUSIONS FNAC, being a low-cost outpatient procedure, is of great diagnostic utility in articular and periarticular lesions. It is minimally invasive and helpful in rapid diagnosis.
