Combined Use of Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology and
Polymerase Chain Reaction in the Diagnosis of Cervical
Thberculous Lymphadenitist
BOONCHU MANITCHOTPISIT, M.D.*,
BOONCHU KULAPRADITHAROM, M.D.*,
SOMYOS KUNACHAK, M.D.*,
TUNYACHAI SURA, M.D.**
Affiliation : * Department of Otolaryngology- Head- Neck Surgery,
** Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.
t Presented in part at the Annual Scientific Meeting, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok. Thailand.
I May 1998.
AbstractAlthough fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is an effective mean for the diagnosis of
cervical tuberculous lymphadenitis (CTL), it still poses a certain degree of false negative and
false positive. The objective of this study was to determine the efficiency of polymerase chain
reaction (PCR) in combination with fine needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of CTL. Thirty
three patients who presented with enlarged cervical lymph nodes, and were clinically suggestive
of CTL were included in the study. Fine needle aspiration or surgical biopsy of lymph nodes was
performed, the specimens were studied for cytology, acid fast bacilli stain, culture for mycobacteria
and PCR technique. The sensitivity and specificity of FNAC was 48 per cent and 87.5 per cent
respectively, while that of PCR was 84 per cent and 75 per cent respectively. When FNAC and
PCR were combined, the sensitivity and specificity increased to 84 per cent and I 00 per cent res-
pectively. We concluded that FNAC in combination with the PCR technique is a fast and effective
clinical diagnostic approach for CTL.
Keywords : Fine Needle Aspiration, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Tuberculous Lymphadenitis
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