Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and pitfalls of ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (US-FNA) for salivary gland lesions.
Methods: Two hundred and fifty-eight US-FNA cytology specimens of salivary gland lesions taken over a 4-year period were reviewed and correlated with the histopathological findings obtained from surgical specimen. The aspirates were derived from parotid gland (218 cases) and submandibular gland (40 cases).
Results: The major diagnostic categories for cytology were unsatisfactory (34 cases), non-neoplastic lesions (17 cases), benign neoplasm (180 cases), and malignant neoplasm (27 cases). Final pathological review showed that 172 of 192 (90%) benign tumors and 27 of 48 (56%) malignant tumors with adequate US-FNA sampling were accurately diagnosed cytologically. False-negative results were caused by sampling error (11 cases) or misinterpretation of uncommon tumors (10 cases). The overall sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of US-FNA were 83%, 96%, and 90%, respectively.
Conclusion: US-FNA cytology is reliable in distinguishing benign and malignant salivary gland tumors and provides accurate diagnosis of most salivary gland lesions.