Fine needle aspiration cytology of salivary gland lesions reported immediately in a head and neck clinic.

This paper describes the application of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) performed on 92 patients with salivary gland lesions in a Head and Neck Surgery Clinic. The aspirates were immediately reported by a cytopathologist and the reports conveyed to the surgeon during the same clinic visit. FNAC results were then compared with histology in those patients who underwent surgery and with the clinical course of the disease at subsequent clinic visits in patients where surgery was not performed. The cytological diagnosis was incorrect in five cases, one of which was a false negative result. There were no false positive results. The sensitivity was 90.9 per cent and the specificity 100 per cent. This rapid report system of fine needle aspiration cytology has been found to be safe, free of complications, and helpful in the planning of treatment.