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Updated: Jul 3, 2026
Cell Block Preparation from Cytology Specimen with Predominance of Individually Scattered Cells
Published on: July 21, 2009
Study of effusion cytology in patients with simultaneous malignancy and ascites
R Jha1, H G Shrestha, G Sayami
1Department of Pathology, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu. runa75jha@yahoo.com
Objective:
To evaluate sensitivity of effusion cytology in detecting malignancy.
Materials And Methods:
Effusion cytology was studied from 37 malignancy associated and 28 non malignancy associated ascitic fluid samples.
Results:
Out of 65 cases, 44 (67.7%) effusions were reported negative, 15 (23.1%) were positive and 6 (9.2%) were suspicious for malignancy. Thus total 21 effusions (32.3%) were tumour cell positive. All 21 (100%) were true positive, none (0%) was false positive, 28 (63.6%) were true negative and 16 (36.4%) were false negative. Thus ascitic fluid cytology had sensitivity of 56.7% and specificity of 100%. Predictive value of positive test and negative test was 100% and 63.6% respectively. Stomach was the most common primary site of malignancy associated with ascites (11/37 i.e. 29.7%) where as adenocarcinoma was the most common type of malignancy (11/15 i.e.73.3%) in ascitic fluid cytology.
Conclusion:
Ascitic fluid cytology is a simple and useful procedure with sensitivity of 56.7% and should be routinely requested.
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