title: Comparison of ultrasonographically guided fine-needle aspiration and core needle biopsy in the diagnosis of parotid masses.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To retrospectively compare the accuracies of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (USFNA) and ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy (USCNB) in the diagnosis of parotid masses.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 171 patients (aged 17-86 years, mean 54 years) with parotid masses (35 malignant and 136 benign lesions) underwent either USFNA (n = 107) or USCNB (n = 64). The diagnostic accuracies for differentiating benign from malignant lesions of both examinations were compared. Surgical histopathology (n = 104) and clinical diagnosis (n = 67) were used to establish the final diagnoses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  USCNB had a significantly higher sensitivity (94.1%) than USFNA (55.6%) (p < 0.05) in differentiating benign lesions from malignant conditions. The specificity and overall accuracy of USCNB were higher than those of USFNA (100% and 98.4% versus 93.3% and 86.9%, respectively). USCNB provided more specific diagnosis than USFNA (100% versus 93.3%, p < 0.05). All six patients with lymphomas who underwent USCNB were accurately diagnosed, whereas all four patients with lymphomas who underwent USFNA were not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  USCNB should be preferred to USFNA when a definite diagnosis of a parotid solid mass is needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Imaging and Intervention, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, 5 Fushing Road, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-Chieh
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Chen-Te
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Gigin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Wen-Yu
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.forename: Kee-Min
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Yeow
authors.forename: Yung-Liang
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Wan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010305:Parotid Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010306:Parotid Gland / Q000473:pathology*; D010307:Parotid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional; D055815:Young Adult