Preoperative fine needle aspiration cytology diagnosis of microcystic adenoma of the pancreas: Fact or fiction? A report of 2 cases

Valerie A. Fitzhugh, Neena Mirani, Seena Aisner, Baburao Koneru, Kasturi Das

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Microcystic adenoma is an uncommon benign neoplasm involving the pancreas that usually affects older populations. These neoplasms often enlarge to significant sizes, causing symptoms of obstruction and discomfort. Cases: We report 2 cases of microcystic adenoma of the pancreas in which an accurate diagnosis could not be rendered on cytology material alone. Bench fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy performed on the resection specimen in one of the cases had a higher cellular yield because a different technique was used to prepare the slide. Conclusion: A preoperative diagnosis can be helpful in guiding the care of the patient, thereby increasing the importance of a diagnosis to distinguish between a benign vs. malignant process. These case reports demonstrate the difficulty of obtaining diagnostic cells in microcystic adenoma, highlight the use of FNA to increase cellular yield and emphasize the importance of correlating radiologic findings with aspiration of abundant watery fluid from cystic pancreatic masses to make a definitive diagnosis.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)240-246
Number of pages7
JournalActa Cytologica
Volume52
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2008

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Pathology and Forensic Medicine
  • Histology

Keywords

  • Adenoma, microcytic
  • Aspiration cytology, fine-needle
  • Pancreas

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