International Journal of STD & AIDS > Volume 19, Number 8 > Pp. 553-556

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Lowe, S M Articles by Miller, R F Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Social Bookmarking                      What's this?

Original research articles

Diagnostic yield of fine-needle aspiration cytology in HIV-infected patients with lymphadenopathy in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy

S M Lowe MRCP ^*, G I Kocjan FRCPath , S G Edwards FRCP ^* and R F Miller FRCP  

^* Department of Genitourinary Medicine, Mortimer Market Centre, Camden PCT, London WC1E 6JB; Department of Histopathology, University College London Hospitals Foundation Trust, London WC1E 6JJ; Centre for Sexual Health and HIV Research, Department of Population Sciences and Primary Care, University College London, Mortimer Market Centre, London WC1E 6JB, UK

Correspondence to: Professor R F Miller Email: rmiller{at}gum.ucl.ac.uk

Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology has an established role in the investigation of lymphadenopathy in HIV-infected patients. However, changes in the spectrum of disease have been observed since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). The aim of the study was to establish whether FNA cytology remains a useful investigative tool in the post-HAART era and to determine whether the cytology results reflect the changing patterns of disease. Retrospective search of the cytopathology database at University College London Hospitals identified 73 FNA cytology procedures performed in 62 patients between January 1998 and December 2006. FNA cytology showed significant disease in 90% of adequate samples. The most common diagnoses were persistent generalized lymphadenopathy (PGL, 50%), infection (22%) and malignancy (18%). Diagnoses could not be made in 31% of patients because of inadequate sampling. An open lymph node biopsy was subsequently performed in 27% of patients. FNA cytology remains an important initial investigation in the post-HAART era, particularly in the diagnosis of PGL, infection and malignancy. Difficulties in diagnosis of Castleman disease and Hodgkin's lymphoma by FNA cytology are recognized.

Key Words: fine-needle aspiration cytology • lymph node • HIV infection • highly active antiretroviral therapy • lymphoma

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?