ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Patients are often referred for fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) on account of peripheral lymphadenopathy. Relative to the rate of referrals, very few works have been done to establish the reliability of FNAC as a first-line investigation in the evaluation of peripheral lymphadenopathy in this environment. This study aims to determine the diagnostic utility of FNAC in evaluating common causes of peripheral lymphadenopathy in a teaching hospital in North western Nigeria. STUDY DESIGN: Eighty-six patients who had FNAC and histology or cell blocks preparation of the same lymph nodes were recruited over a 5-year period. Using histology and cell blocks as gold standards, the sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and test accuracy were deduced. RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were 71.4%, 91.5%, 87.5% and 81.1% respectively. The test accuracy of FNAC was 83.7%. CONCLUSION: FNAC is reliable for screening and diagnosing peripheral lymph node lesions. However, ancillary tests such as immunocytochemistry may be necessary for improved accuracy.
