Evaluation of the accuracy of fine needle aspiration in the diagnosis of parotid salivary gland lesions: A retrospective study in Isfahan

Salivary gland lesions comprise a wide group of lesions, including infectious and obstructive lesions and salivary gland tumors. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) is used primarily to identify these lesions; application of this method results in identification of cytologic features of the majority of salivary gland neoplasms and infectious lesions. The present study was undertaken to determine the accuracy of fine needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of parotid salivary gland lesions.
In the present descriptive/cross-sectional study, 170 parotid salivary gland specimen were included, which had been examined by FNA initially and then treated by surgical techniques and histopathologically evaluated. The results of both sampling techniques were compared and analyzed with SPSS 22. Chi-squared test, t-test, and sensitivity and specificity statistical tests were used for statistical analyses (α = 0.05).
Based on the results of chi-squared test and t-test,agreement rate between FNA and biopsy results was 87.64%, with sensitivity and specificity of FNA being 97% and 81.37%, respectively. False positive and false negative rates of FNA were 18.62% and 2.94%, respectively.
FNA can be applied primarily as an adjunctive technique for patient evaluation; subsequent steps should be taken based on the patient’s condition and the physician’s judgment.