Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 18, Issue 2 135-139, Copyright © 1999 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Sonographically guided fine needle aspiration biopsy of abdominal lymph nodes: experience in 102 patients
S. Gupta, C. L. Rajak, B. P. Sood, M. Gulati, A. Rajwanshi and S. Suri
Department of Radiodiagnosis, Postgraduate Institute Medical Education Research, Chandigarh, India.
We present our experience with sonographically guided fine needle
aspiration biopsy of abdominal and retroperitoneal lymph nodes in 102
patients. The biopsied lymph nodes measured 1 to 6 cm (mean, 2.3 cm) and
were located at the porta hepatis (n = 23), in the peripancreatic (n = 31),
paraaortic (n = 22), aortocaval (n = 1), common iliac (n = 3), or external
iliac (n = 6) regions, or in the mesentery (n = 16). Material sufficient
for cytologic analysis was obtained in 87 (85.2%) of the 102 patients. The
cytologic diagnosis in these patients included malignancy in 47 patients,
tuberculosis in 28 patients, reactive lymphoid hyperplasia in 10 patients,
and aspergillosis in two patients. In the other 15 patients, fine needle
aspiration biopsy could not provide a definitive diagnosis. No major or
minor complications occurred in our study. Thus, sonographic guidance is an
effective alternative to computed tomography for biopsy of abdominal and
retroperitoneal lymph nodes.
