Peripheral Lymph Node Excisional Biopsy: Yield, Relevance, and Outcomes in a Remote Surgical Setup

Area of Science:

• Surgical Pathology
• Diagnostic Procedures
• Public Health

Background:

• Peripheral lymphadenopathy is a common clinical presentation requiring accurate diagnosis.
• Remote healthcare settings often lack advanced diagnostic tools like ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology (USG-FNAC).
• Peripheral lymph node biopsy (PLNB) remains a crucial diagnostic method in resource-limited areas.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the patient profile, including demographics and histopathological findings, of symptomatic peripheral lymphadenopathy.
• To evaluate the diagnostic yield, relevance, and outcomes of PLNB in remote settings.
• To assess PLNB's utility as a primary diagnostic step when less invasive options are unavailable.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective review of 132 patients who underwent PLNB between May 2011 and April 2013.
• Analysis of patient demographics, histopathological reports, and clinical outcomes.
• Focus on data from a remote setup lacking advanced diagnostic modalities.

Main Results:

• Tuberculosis (TB) was the most common diagnosis (45.45%), followed by reactive lymphadenitis (21.9%).
• Neck lymph nodes were the most frequent biopsy site (86.36%).
• PLNB demonstrated a good diagnostic yield, with significant findings including lymphoma and metastatic disease.

Conclusions:

• PLNB is an effective procedure for diagnosing peripheral lymphadenopathy, particularly in remote areas.
• The procedure is simple, with low mortality and morbidity, making it suitable for rural surgical practice.
• PLNB provides valuable diagnostic information when less invasive techniques are inaccessible.