Background/aims: Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration is considered to be a safe alternative in diagnosing liver tumors. Combined cytologic and histologic preparation via one-shot fine needle aspiration was evaluated, especially in outpatients.
Methodology: During a 1-year period, 95 patients (including 57 outpatients and 38 inpatients) who had received 97 sessions of fine needle aspiration and had final diagnosis were enrolled. Using a 22-gauge needle, the aspirate from liver tumor was processed for cytology and cell block histology simultaneously in patients without ascites and/or bleeding tendency.
Results: From 94 malignant and 3 benign tumors, the accuracy of cytology was 88.7%; while, the difference between outpatients and inpatients was not significant (91.2% vs. 85%). No complication after fine needle aspiration was elicited in both groups. The rates of inadequate specimen preparation for cytology and histology were 0% and 13.4%, the false-negative rates of malignancy were 11.7% for cytology and 16% for histology. The inadequate and false-negative rates of histology were not associated with gender, underlying liver cirrhosis, or tumor size, type, and location.
Conclusions: Ultrasound-guided 22-gauge one-shot fine needle aspiration is safe, convenient and reliable in diagnosing liver tumor, and can be performed in outpatients meticulously.