Ninety-five percent (195) of 203 fine needle aspiration biopsies (FNAB) of head and neck specimens contained adequate tissues for histologic evaluation. No complications or needle tract recurrences were identified. Out of 135 patients whose surgical excision followed FNAB, 5% (7/135) of the biopsies were nondiagnostic. Correlation of cytologic and histologic findings of the remaining 128 FNAB revealed a sensitivity rate of 82% (46/56), a specificity rate of 99% (71/72), and a positive predictive of value of 98% (46/47). The diagnostic accuracy of FNAB was better with salivary gland and cervical node specimens than with thyroid, skin, and subcutaneous specimens. Fine needle aspiration biopsy may be considered as the first diagnostic step in the evaluation of the mass of the head and neck region, if the nondiagnostic aspiration rate is low and the diagnostic accuracy is high.

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