Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology of Cysticercosis: A Study of 30 Cases

Cysticercosis is a systemic parasitic disease caused by larval stage of Taenia solium. It is the most common parasitic disease worldwide. It is potentially a dangerous systemic disease with variable clinical manifestations. It can be diagnosed by radiological imaging and serology but demonstration of parasitic larva by cytology or histopathology is still the gold standard. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) plays an important role in prompt diagnosis of this disease. AIM: To study the role of FNAC in the diagnosis of cysticercosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 30 patients presenting with palpable subcutaneous and intramuscular nodules at different sites. Fine needle aspiration was performed on these lesions and cytological features were analyzed. Subsequent excision biopsy was evaluated wherever possible. RESULTS: Thirty patients in the age group of 7–80 years presenting with subcutaneous and intramuscular nodules at various sites were studied. Majority of the patients were males. The most commonly affected sites were upper and lower extremities and abdominal wall. Most of the cases were clinically misdiagnosed as lipomas, neurofibromas, lymphadenitis, epidermal inclusion cyst, sialadenitis, and soft tissue tumors. On cytological examination of aspirate from the lesions, fragments of parasite were seen in a background of mixed inflammatory cell infiltrate. Histopathological correlation was available in 17 cases. CONCLUSION: FNAC is a simple, sensitive, cost-effective, and rapid diagnostic tool for diagnosis of cysticercosis as cytological diagnosis is quite clear where the actual parasitic structures are identified in the smear.