Fine needle Aspiration Cytology of various Head and Neck Swellings

Background: Head and neck swelling is a frequently encountered complaint in the outpatient department. A wide plethora of conditions give rise to head and neck lumps. Sometimes the diagnosis of these lesions is apparent from the site and associated features, while at other times the cause for mass in this region can be confusing. Fine needle aspiration cytology has emerged as a reliable tool for clinching the diagnosis in head and neck swellings. Methods and Materials: A retrospective study was conducted in the department of Pathology, Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences, Western Regional Hospital, Pokhara. Details of diagnosed cases of HN swellings from the period of November 2015 to February 2018 were obtained from recorded data. Descriptive statistics was applied from the data collected for analysis. Results: Out of total 456 patients included from a period of 28 months, female patients outnumbered male patients by 1.5 times. The most common age group of presentation for head and neck swellings was observed to be 20-29 years, with 93 patients which comprised of 20.39% of total. Highest incidence was that of lymph node swellings (55.04%) followed by thyroid swellings (21.49%). Conclusion: Lymph node pathology was determined to be the commonest cause for head and neck mass. FNAC is a reliable and inexpensive means in investigating such lesions, which provides immense help in treatment of patients.