Diagnosis of Major Salivary Gland Tumors by UltrasonographyGuided Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy

Abstract

Fine needle aspiration cytology under ultrasonography is a safe and fairly reliable diagnostic technique in most head and neck tumors, but it is less accurate in major salivary gland tumors.
We devised a new type of 21G needle called SONOPSY C1 (F type) to obtain the histologic specimen of head and neck tumors, and assessed its usefulness in major salivary gland tumors.
Fine needle aspiration of 14 parotid gland tumors and 3 submandibular gland tumors was performed under ultrasonographic guidance, and adequate histological specimens were obtained in 12 parotid tumors and 2 submandibular gland lesions.
All of 12 benign tumors were correctly diagnosed as benign from the histologic material obtained by fine needle aspiration, and the 2 malignant tumors as malignant. The histopathological diagnosis was confirmed in 12 cases. Adenolymphoma in one patient and malignant mixed tumor in another were not diagnosed correctly.