Diagnostic dilemmas in fine needle aspiration cytology of an ectopic kidney: a case report.

Background: Congenital anomalies are easily diagnosed on radiology and rarely have an unusual presentation requiring an invasive diagnostic procedure. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), though a well-established diagnostic technique for abdominal and retroperitoneal lesions, is fraught with several challenges and pitfalls.

Case: We report a case of a 39-year-old woman with an ectopic kidney presenting as an abdominal mass. On FNAC the cellular aspirate was misinterpreted as a paraganglioma or metastatic carcinoma.

Conclusion: This case highlights the fact that on FNAC, normal cellular components, especially from the kidney, provide a significant pitfall for overdiagnosis, potentially resulting in unnecessary surgical explorations.