Muhammad Asaf Alavi, Khalid Mahmood, Wasim Shiekh, Mudassar Suleri, Azam Yusuf, Mazia Kulsoom, Aurangzeb Khan.
To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of fine needle aspiration cytology in palpable abdominal masses.
J Fatima Jinnah Med Coll Lahore Jan ;1(3-4):38-41.

Background: Sometimes patients are not fit to undergo surgery due to advanced metastatic abdominal masses or medical illness. In these patients unless we know the histological nature and origin of mass, we cannot proceed further even for any palliative treatment. FNAC is a minimally invasive diagnostic tool and can be helpful in these patients. Objective: 1) To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in palpable abdominal masses, and to compare it with histopathology. 2) To evaluate the frequency of complications of procedure e.g. Pain, Bleeding , Shock, Infection, Septicemia and Peritonitis. Design: Analytical comparative study. Setting and duration: Rawalpindi General Hospital, Rawalpindi, a Teaching Hospital affiliated to Rawalpindi Medical College from Jan 2005 to June 2006. Patients: Sixty eight (68) patients having abdominal masses. Methodology: The patients underwent Fine needle aspiration cytology and later open biopsy. Same pathologist did both tests at different occasions with out his awareness of either report. Results: Out of 68 patients 40 were males and 28 females. 50 patients with histopathologically proven diagnosis were taken for final results. Sensitivity of FNAC was 70% and specificity 100%. Overall diagnostic accuracy was 78%. Conclusion: Results of FNAC are not as good as of histopathology, yet we were able to establish useful diagnosis on FNAC in 78% cases. Despite relative poor results, keeping in mind the non-invasiveness of FNAC, it should be given first priority in evaluating the abdominal masses.

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