Sixty-four cases of mainly lymphoid lesions were investigated by fine needle aspiration. Both conventional smears and cytospin preparations were made from this material. Diagnoses based on cytological and immunocytological criteria were made in 57 of these cases and include reactive hyperplasia, non-Hodgkin's and Hodgkin's lymphoma and metastatic carcinoma. Five cases were inadequate for diagnostic purposes and in 2 cases no definite diagnosis could be made. These diagnoses were confirmed using tissue sections in 48/51 cases (with only 3 cytological diagnoses significantly altered by histology) and supported by supplementary clinical information in 8 cases. These results demonstrate the value of FNA biopsy in the investigation of lymphoid lesions using both conventional cytology and immunocytochemistry.
Keywords: Fine needle aspiration; immunocytochemistry; lymphoma.