Fine needle aspiration cytology of the pancreas.
A review is presented of 205 fine needle aspirations of the pancreas performed on 149 patients. Clinical follow-up was available for 134 patients (88%). Aspirates from 71 patients (53%) were correctly diagnosed as malignant while those from 43 patients (32%) were correctly diagnosed as negative. Ten patients (7%) were falsely diagnosed as negative, and ten patients (7%) were diagnosed as suspicious. There were no false-positive diagnoses. This resulted in a specificity of 100%, a sensitivity of 87%, a diagnostic efficiency of 92%, a predictive value of a positive test of 100% and a predictive value of a negative test of 80%. The cytologic criteria of malignancy can be easily recognized. The complications are very few. Comparisons with the results of needle and wedge pancreatic biopsies are presented.
Al-Kaisi
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Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio 44106.
Siegler
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EE
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D007516:Adenoma, Islet Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology