Fine needle aspiration cytology in the evaluation of parotid gland tumors.

Main objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness and accuracy of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) diagnosis of parotid masses to distinguish reliably between benign and malignant lesions. In the period of 5 years, 214 parotid glands were resected at the Rijeka University Hospital Center (Croatia), but 176 patients had cytopathological and histopathological diagnoses and therefore fulfilled the criteria for study. The results of the FNAC were analyzed and compared to the corresponding histopathological diagnosis obtained from the surgical specimen. Histological evaluation revealed 17malignant and 159 benign lesions. There were 13 true positive, 147 true negative, 3 false negative, and 13 false positive. Sensitivity of FNAC was 81%, and specificity was 98%. FNAC results provide useful predictive preoperative information and better preparation the surgeon and patient for surgical procedure.