Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) for lesions of the salivary glands

We examined 112 fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) specimens of salivary glands (80 parotid and 32 submaxillary) taken between January 1989 and December 1995. Cytologic diagnoses were compared with the final histological diagnoses of the surgical specimens. The sensitivity and specificity were 84.8% and 93.7% respectively, and the accuracy was 91.1%. We conclude that FNAB by itself does not provide total security because of the high percentage of false-negatives. It is nevertheless useful when combined with an adequate clinical history, examination and radiological tests.