Fine needle aspiration as a diagnostic tool in cysticercosis: a case series

BACKGROUND: Cysticercosis is a zoonotic disease. It is caused by the larval form of the pork tapeworm Taenia solium. This disease is a public health problem in a country like India, but its incidence is underestimated. With the advent of fine needle aspiration cytology with rapid on-site evaluation, early detection of this disease is possible, especially when the lesion is in anatomically approachable superficial locations. CASE REPORT: We had four cases of cysticercosis diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology with on-site evaluation using toluidine blue stain, followed by Giemsa and Papanicolaou stain. Our cases included three Hindu male patients of age 30 years, 23 years, 17 years and an 26 year old Hindu female. CONCLUSION: Fine needle aspiration cytology diagnosis of cysticercosis can be easily made provided the reporting cytologist is aware of the morphological criteria. Rapid on-site evaluation can further help in taking additional material and caution during staining process.