Spectrum of Head and Neck Lesions in A Rural Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Abstract
Background: Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) is an affordable quick procedure that offers a
prompt diagnosis. FNAC is the first‑line investigation of choice for evaluating the head and neck lesions.
The aim of the present study is to evaluate the role of FNAC in diagnosis of head neck lesions and to study
the spectrum of head neck lesions in rural population.
Method: The study included 203 patients who presented with palpable head and neck swelling in a rural
tertiary care hospital from January 2022 to November 2022. Detailed clinical history of patient was noted.
Fine Needle Aspirations were done by inserting a 22-23G needle with a 10mL syringe into the palpable
swelling. Smears were made and stained with May Grunwald Giemsa, Papanicolaou, and Haemotoxylin
and Eosin (H&E) stains. The FNAC slides were screened and final diagnosis were noted for all cases.
Results: The mean age of the study sample was 40.3 ± 22.54 years. Majority of the patients in our study
were males (55.8%). Patients presented with swellings in various sites in the head and neck region of which
majority of the swellings were found in thyroid gland (49.7%) followed by swelling in neck (16.2%),
cervical lymph node (13.7%) and sub mandibular region (3.4%). Commonest cytological diagnosis made
was reactive lymphadenitis (18.2%), followed by Hashimotos thyroiditis (14.2%). 48.4% of cases in our
study were inflammatory, 40.3% were benign and 11.2% were malignant lesions.
Conclusion: The present study concluded that FNAC is a quick, simple and cost‑effective diagnostic
procedure which differentiates inflammatory, non-neoplastic and neoplastic lesions thereby avoiding
unnecessary surgeries and helps in proper patient management.
Keywords: FNAC, head and neck, cytology diagnosis.