Cytological Study of Effusions.

Background: Effusion fluid analysis plays an important role in clinical medicine. Clinicians rely on the reports of effusion fluids and use them as complement to their clinical assessment for the diagnosis and management. Aim: To study the incidence of neoplastic and non neoplastic effusions. Objectives: i) To study the gross and microscopic features of effusions; ii) To study the pattern of effusions in various neoplastic and non neoplastic conditions. Material and Method: 550 specimens of pleural, peritoneal and pericardial fluid were studied. Fluid samples were centrifuged for five minutes at 2000 rpm and smears prepared from deposit were stained by Haematoxylin and Eosin (H and E), Giemsa and Papanicolaou stains (Pap). Result: Out of 550, 315 were pleural effusions, 234 peritoneal and one was pericardial. Out of total 315 cases of pleural effusions, 297 were non neoplastic and 18 were neoplastic effusion. Out of total 234 peritoneal effusions 214 were non neoplastic and 20 neoplatic. Commonest malignancy in pleural and peritoneal fluid was adenocarcinoma. Conclusion: Pleural effusion was the commonest fluid in this study. Exudates were predominant in pleural effusion and transudates were predominant in peritoneal effusion. Common causes of exudates in pleural effusion were tuberculosis (TB), pneumonia and malignancy. Common causes of transudates in peritoneal effusion were liver cirrhosis and congestive cardiac failure (CCF). Adenocarcinoma was the commonest malignancy in both pleural and peritoneal effusion (30 cases).