Role of fine needle aspiration biopsy cytology in the diagnosis of infections

Abstract

The role of fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) cytology in diagnosing infections has expanded due to the increase in the number of immune compromised patients and the increasing role of FNAB in the developing world where infection is a major cause of illness. FNAB has become the first procedural test in cases where the clinical and imaging findings suggest an infectious lesion or where there is a differential diagnosis of infection or metastatic or primary tumor. This applies to FNAB of palpable or image directed or deep seated lesions accessed by EUS and EBUS. This article details a recommended approach and technique for FNAB of infectious lesions, and discusses the role of rapid on site evaluation and the application of ancillary testing including the rapidly expanding array of molecular tests based on FNAB material. The utility of recognizing suppurative and granulomatous infectious patterns in FNAB direct smears, and the specific cytomorphological features on routine Papanicolaou and Giemsa stains and on special stains of FNAB smears is described for a large number of bacterial, fungal, viral, parasitic, and protozoan infections. The role of cytopathologists is to now train cytopathologists in sufficient numbers to provide FNAB services, teach trainee cytopathologists and cytotechnologists, and to encourage our clinical colleagues to use FNAB in the diagnosis of infections and other lesions to the benefit of patients and the medical system. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2016;44:1024–1038.