CYTOLOGICAL TYPING OF LIVER TUMORS AND ITS HISTOLOGICAL CORRELATION

BACKGROUND: The evaluation and management of discrete hepatic masses is a clinical problem. Ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is a rapid, accurate and safe diagnostic procedure that can be used in various neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases of the liver. AIM: To assess the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound guided FNAC of liver tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration and true cut liver biopsies were performed on 52 patients clinically suspected of having hepatic lesion. Results of cytology were compared with histology. RESULTS: Malignancy was detected in 50 cases. The primary malignancies consisted of 15 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 4 cases of cholangiocarcinoma and 2 of hepatoblastoma. There were 29 metastatic lesions, which included 26 cases of adenocarcinoma, 2 cases of squamous cell carcinoma and 1 of lymphoma. The sensitivity and specificity of FNA for malignancies was found to be 96% and 100% respectively. Accuracy of FNAC was found to be 96.1 % with no false positive diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: FNA of hepatic lesions is an effective, safe and well accepted practice with good sensitivity and specificity. It is recommended that image directed FNAC should be the primary diagnostic modality for assessing potential malignancy in any patient with a localized hepatic mass.