Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy of Peripheral Lymph Nodes in Children: Practical Experience in a Tertiary Hospital

Peripheral lymphadenopathy occurs often in children; fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is a commonly performed diagnostic procedure. We describe FNAB use and outcome for peripheral lymphadenopathy in children in a routine clinical setting.

A retrospective study done at Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town of children (<13 years) who had an FNAB for lymphadenopathy from July 2012 to June 2014. Demographic, clinical, treatment and follow-up data were retrieved from patient folders; FNAB and special investigation results were obtained from the laboratory database.

Of the 173 children, the median age was 37 (interquartile range 13-75) months; 20 (11.5%) were HIV positive. Most FNABs were done in the neck (131; 76%) and axillary areas (34; 20%). FNAB provided a result in 165 (95%) cases; in 8 (5%) children FNAB was insufficient for diagnosis. Mycobacterial aetiology was diagnosed in 84 (49%); 49 (58%) were culture-confirmed (37 Mycobacterium tuberculosis, 10 Mycobacterium bovis BCG, 1 both and 1 non-tuberculous mycobacterium). Reactive lymphadenopathy was diagnosed in 56 (32%), neoplastic disease in 6 (3.5%) and other pathology in 19 (11%) cases. Additional special investigations changed FNAB diagnosis or led to an additional diagnosis in 8 (5%) children. Overall, 70/84 (83%) with mycobacterial aetiology and all neoplastic disease cases received the correct treatment. Follow-up appointments were arranged in 144 (83%) patients.

In a high tuberculosis burden area, a single FNAB provided a diagnosis in most cases in a routine referral setting; FNAB remains a safe and useful investigation. Follow-up of children to initiate appropriate treatment could improve.

Large swollen lymph nodes, especially in the neck, are a common finding in children. Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is a commonly used diagnostic procedure and we looked at how well this procedure works in everyday hospital practice. We identified all children <13 years of age over a 2-year period (2012-2014) who had an FNAB done at Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa, and looked how well this procedure performed and what the doctors did with these children. We found 173 children who had an FNAB done. They were generally young children of around 3 years old. With a single FNAB, we could make a diagnosis in 95% of these children. About half of the children had tuberculosis or complications of a BCG vaccine (both caused by mycobacteria), only 4% had a malignancy of some kind, about a third had reactive lymph nodes (usually other mainly local infectious causes) and the rest had other pathology like abscesses. All malignancies and >80% of the mycobacterial pathology cases were correctly managed; the latter could definitely improve.