INTRODUCTION: Lesions in head and neck have always been a diagnostic dilemma for a pathologist and a treating clinician. Being on the exposed part of body, they become cosmetically unacceptable. These include lesions arising from the regional group of lymph nodes. Most commonly lymphadenopathy is a common clinical presentation. The diagnostic probability ranges from infections to developmental abnormalities, from inflammatory to malignant lesions. None the less all the lesions in lymph nodes of the head and neck region cannot be limited to a particular age group and gender. Routine staining procedures like PAP, Giemsa, Field and even H & E has been used to clinch the pathogenesis of the lesion. It can be said without any fear of contradiction that FNAC is certainly a very important tool for an early diagnosis of not only head and neck lesions but also other lesions elsewhere in the body.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a comparative study which was conducted in the department of pathology. The patients were subjected to detailed history and thorough clinical examination according to the working proforma. Patients were subjected to FNAC after written informed concent. The slides were stained using PAP, Giemsa and H&E stain and examined for underlying pathology. A detailed gross examination was done and 3-15 sections were selected from the representative areas for routine paraffin sections.
RESULTS: Amongst the total of 296 patients aspirated, 127 were from Lymph Nodes of head and neck region. Cervicallymph nodes were the most common group of lymph nodes aspirated, followed by submandibular and submental lymph nodes. Age wise tabulation shows maximum frequency of inflammatory lesions at younger age, of which reactive hyperplasia was more common in pediatric age group and tuberculous lesions were more common in 20-40years of age.
CONCLUSION: Cervical lymph nodes were the most common group of lymph nodes aspirated, followed by submandibular and submental lymph nodes. Reactive lymphadenitis is the most frequent diagnosis amongst the lymph node lesions and tuberculous lesions was the second most common diagnosis amongst all the lymph node lesions. 35 cases out of 127, as tuberculous lymphadenitis. Histopathology correlation could be done in 36 cases, of which 32 were found be correctly diagnosed in cytology.