The diagnostic accuracy of fine needle aspiration cytology in leprosy: a clinico-histopathological correlation.

Background: Leprosy is a chronic granulomatous condition mainly affects cooler parts of the body; skin, upper respiratory tract, anterior segment of the eye, superficial portion of peripheral nerves and testes. Redley and Joplin have classified it into five types; Tuberculoid (TT), Borderline Tuberculoid (BT), Mid Borderline (BB), Lepromatous Borderlilne (BL) and Lepromatous (LL). FNAC is simple, rapid and cost effective method over the biopsy to diagnose, classify and monitor leprosy in a patient. The present study was undertaken to evaluate and compare FNAC smears findings with histopathological findings and to classify lesions on RJ scale. Methods: This prospective and descriptive study was done in department of pathology in Sri Venkateshwara institute of medical science, pondicherry, India between June 2007 to June 2010. The patients were examined by the investigator with dermatologist later on slit smear was done. FNAC perform and comparison with biopsy and clinical history was done using SPSS software version 16.0. Results: Total 82 cases were included with age from 8 years to 79 years with mean age 38.16. Male to female ratio was 1.0: 0.7. FNAC shows parity 71.42% for tuberculoid and 58.33% for lepromatous leprosy and histopathology shows parity 100% for tuberculoid and 75% for lepromatous leprosy that indicate FNAC is useful usually for polar or stable group than the unstable or borderline cases. Conclusion: FNAC is a quick and safe for early diagnosis and classify cases into paucibacilary and multibacillary. Exact RJ Scale categorization on FNAC should not be used in isolation but FNAC should be supplemented to the histopathological diagnosis.

To evaluate the role of sputum in the diagnosis of lung cancer in south Indian population.

Background: The main advantage of sputum cytology is its simplicity, non-invasiveness and minimal discomfort to the patient. Though, the sputum is evaluated in the diagnosis of lung cancer, the report on the same in the South Indian population was lacking. Therefore, the present study has been undertaken to evaluate the role of sputum in the diagnosis of lung cancer in South Indian population. Methods: The material consisted of sputum samples from 133 patients and was collected in clean wide mouthed disposable plastic containers. Patients were asked to collect sputum the next morning after washing the mouth properly. The sputum was immediately brought to the laboratory and poured into a watch glass. Four smears were prepared from each sample, out of which two smears were immediately fixed in methanol and the other two were air-dried. The methanol fixed smears were stained with Papanicolaou stain. Out of the two air dried smears, one was stained with May Grunwald Giemsa and the other with Gabbot's method for AFB. The smears were screened for malignant cells and a cytological diagnosis was made. The cytological diagnosis was correlated with the histopathological diagnosis. The data obtained were represented as mean percentages. Results: The observation of sputum smears showed numerous pleiomorphic keratinized squamous cells, keratinized squamous cell with hyper chromatic nucleus in well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma, pleiomorphic cells having vacuolated cytoplasm and vesicular nucleus with prominent nucleoli as in adenocarcinoma of the lung, cells arranged in small clusters and having scanty cytoplasm in small cell carcinoma and cells are slightly larger than lymphocyte with scanty cytoplasm and hyper chromatic, grooved nuclei in small cell carcinoma. Conclusion: Cytology of sputum is extremely useful and highly sensitive. The diagnostic accuracy is directly proportional to the number of samples. Sputum cytology is highly sensitive for the centrally located squamous cell carcinoma rather than the peripherally located adenocarcinoma. Properly collected, simple sputum examination alone can give results similar to other highly expensive methods like bronchoscopic material for the diagnosis of lung cancer.

Casos de correlación endoscópico-patológica / Cases with endoscopic-pathologic correlation

Presentamos el caso de una mujer de 42 años, obesa, con reflujo gastroesofágico patológico (RGEP) y una hernia hiatal por deslizamiento diagnosticada el año 2004. Desde entonces ha recibido omeprazol en forma discontinuada. Durante el 2007 los síntomas de RGEP se hacen más intensos e intolerables el último mes, con aumento de la pirosis, epigastralgia y dolor al pecho. La panendoscopia demuestra alteraciones características de esofagitis eosinofílica con aspecto anillado del esófago, surcos longitudinales y grumos blanquecinos. Las biopsias escalonadas del esófago confirman el diagnóstico con más de 20 eosinófilos intraepiteliales por campo de mayor aumento (CMA) y las biopsias de estómago y duodeno prácticamente no presentan eosinófilos. Las claves para el diagnóstico endoscópico e histopatológico se cumplen perfectamente en este caso.

We present an obese, 42 year-old lady, with gastro-esophageal reflux and a sliding hiatal hernia diagnosed in 2004. Since then she has been treated with Omeprazole. Since 2007 the gastro-esophageal reflux symptoms have become more severe. By a month ago the symptoms became intolerable with increased heartburn, epigastric and chest pain. The upper endoscopy showed characteristic changes of eosinophilic esophagitis with esophageal ringed appearance, longitudinal ridges and whitish spots. Serial biopsies of the esophagus confirmed the diagnosis with more than 20 intraepithelial eosinophils per field higher magnification (CMA) and biopsies of stomach and duodenum showed practically no eosinophils. The keys to the endoscopic and histopathological diagnosis are fulfilled in this case.

Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) Cytology of the Thyroid: A Cyto-Histopathological Study of 361 Cases in Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Thyroid nodules are common but thyroid malignancies are not. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology is a diagnostic tool used to screen patients with thyroid nodules who require surgery. We study the diagnostic accuracy of FNA as the initial diagnostic modality in the clinical assessment of thyroid nodules. Between January 1995 until December 2000, 2131 FNA of thyroid nodules were performed. Four hundred and forty-one (20.7%) of these were unsatisfactory and 1690 (79.3%) cases were satisfactory for cytological evaluation. Histopathological diagnosis were available for 361 cases. Cyto-histopathological correlation was carried out for these cases. Our results showed a diagnostic accuracy of 96.2% with sensitivity and specificity rates of 87.7% and 98.4% respectively. Our positive predictive value is 93.4% and our negative predictive value is 96.8%. From this study, we conclude that fine needle aspiration is an important initial screening diagnostic tool for the investigation of thyroid nodules.