Comparison of Histopathology (Incisional Biopsy) Vs Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology in Diagnosing Tuberculous Cervical Lymphadenopathy

Objectives: To evaluate and compare the sensitivity and specificity between Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) and histopathology of incisional biopsy in diagnosing blood culture positive tuberculous lymphadenopathy (LAD). Methods: : This descriptive study was conducted in the Department of Pathology at Jinnah Teaching Hospital (JTH) Peshawar from January 2021 to August 2022. The study samples included were collected from thepatients at tertiary care Hospitals who were acid fast bacillus(AFB) positive and blood culture positive. The culture and sensitivity and Zn staining was carried out at JTH Peshawar. Seventy subjects with AFB and culture positive with high clinical suspicion of tuberculous LAD were included in the study. After the recruitment of subjects according to the inclusion criteria, subjects underwent FNAC followed by incisional biopsy for histopathology carried out at JTH Peshawar. Subjects’ blood was checked and screened for Hepatitis B and C, TLC, DLC and ESR at Microbiology and Haematology laboratories of JTH Peshawar respectively. The data was then organised and analysed in SPSS software version. 26. Results: Out of the seventy subjects included in the study, 30 were males while 40 were females. Subjects had a mean age of 33.5 years. The sensitivity of FNAC was 89%, however the Specificity came out to be 59%. Conclusion: Our study obviates the use of FNAC as a good screening test however due to the low specificity or in cases where there is a high clinical suspicion of TB, the results need to be confirmed by Incisional biopsy for histopathology. However, further studies are required for not only understanding the medical condition.