title: Fine-needle aspiration in the diagnosis of head and neck growths: is it necessary?
abstract: The results of fine-needle aspiration cytology performed on 150 patients at the Geneva Clinic of Otolaryngology were analyzed. The accuracy rate was 80%. The study was nondiagnostic in 10% of the cases and falsely negative in another 10%. These results are similar to those in other centers. Nevertheless, several recent reports attest to the accuracy of fine-needle aspirations cytology, and in some clinics it is now part of the initial workup of every patient with a growth in the head and neck. On the basis of our own retrospective analysis, we believe fine-needle aspiration is a useful study only in patients with a previously treated malignancy and who have a new lump in the neck suspected to be a recurrence.
authors: Clinic of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Cantonal University Hospital Geneva, Switzerland.
authors: J P
authors: JP
authors: Guyot
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Obradovic
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Krayenbuhl
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Zbaeren
authors: W
authors: W
authors: Lehmann
mesh_terms: D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies