title: Clinical audit of ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration in a general cytopathology service.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies on ultrasonography (USG) guided fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) have been conducted in specialized settings such as thyroid, breast, and intra-abdominal aspirates. There is a paucity of literature on the practices of guided FNAC in a general cytopathology service.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim was to determine prevailing practices of USG guided FNAC in a general cytopathology service of a teaching hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Metropolitan hospital, clinical audit.
  
  
  METHODS
  Audit of 112 USG guided percutaneous FNAC done over 12 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were coded, entered in an excel spreadsheet and analyzed by translating into percentages and proportions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 112 guided FNACs included constituted 36 thyroid (32.14%), 45 intra-abdominal (40.17%), 11 breast (9.82%), 10 superficial lymph node (8.92%) and 10 soft tissue and miscellaneous (8.92%) lesions. Previous freehand FNAC was documented on the requisition forms in 14 cases. The reports were: Inadequate 33 (29.46%), nondiagnostic descriptive 35 (31.25%) or diagnostic 44 (39.28%). Inadequacy rates of aspirates from thyroid were 11 (30.56%) breast were 2 (18.18%), and intra-abdominal lesions were 13 (28.88%). Majority of the reports were nonstructured: 108 (96.42%) and nonrecommendatory: 101 (90.17%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reporting practices varied and did not conform to a uniform structure. The inadequacy rates of breast and thyroid aspirates were comparable to the rates in the literature. Comparable studies were not available for intra-abdominal aspirates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University College of Medical Sciences and GTB Hospital, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Gunjan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mangla
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University College of Medical Sciences and GTB Hospital, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Vinod Kumar
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Arora
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University College of Medical Sciences and GTB Hospital, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Navjeevan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Singh
keywords: Clinical audit; cytopathology; fine needle aspiration biopsy; fine needle aspiration cytology