Diagnostic accuracy of immediate interpretation of fine needle aspirates.
A total of 197 fine needle aspirates (FNA) from various body sites was subjected to immediate interpretation to determine its diagnostic accuracy. For the entire series, the immediate interpretation revealed a sensitivity of 97 per cent, specificity of 96 per cent, a positive predictive value (PV) of 92 per cent, a negative predictive value of 98 per cent and an efficiency of the test of 96 per cent. The false positive rate was 1.5 per cent and false negative rate 0.5 per cent. The diagnostic accuracy of immediate interpretation was comparable for aspirates from different sites. Our results indicate that immediate interpretation of FNA is ideal for determining the adequacy of material and providing a rapid basic diagnosis. This technique could offer useful substitute to frozen sections particularly when facilities for the latter are not available.
Department of Pathology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
K
K
Verma
M C
MC
Tiwari
J
J
Agarwal
K
K
Kapila
D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000379:methods*; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D006801:Humans; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors