Preoperative fine needle aspiration cytology diagnosis of microcystic adenoma of the pancreas: fact or fiction? A report of 2 cases.
BACKGROUND
Microcystic adenoma is an uncommon benign neoplasm involving the pancreas that usually affects older populations. These neoplasms often enlarge to significant sizes, causing symptoms of obstruction and discomfort.


METHODS
We report 2 cases of microcystic adenoma of the pancreas in which an accurate diagnosis could not be rendered on cytology material alone. Bench fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy performed on the resection specimen in one of the cases had a higher cellular yield because a different technique was used to prepare the slide.


CONCLUSIONS
A preoperative diagnosis can be helpful in guiding the care of the patient, thereby increasing the importance of a diagnosis to distinguish between a benign vs. malignant process. These case reports demonstrate the difficulty of obtaining diagnostic cells in microcystic adenoma, highlight the use of FNA to increase cellular yield and emphasize the importance of correlating radiologic findings with aspiration of abundant watery fluid from cystic pancreatic masses to make a definitive diagnosis.
Fitzhugh
Valerie A
VA
Department of Pathology, Division of Transplant Surgery, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School, 150 Bergen Street, E-156, Newark, NewJersey 07103, USA. fitzhuva@umdnj.edu
Mirani
Neena
N
Aisner
Seena
S
Koneru
Baburao
B
Das
Kasturi
K
D000236:Adenoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011300:Preoperative Care; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013048:Specimen Handling; D016707:Tissue Fixation