Incidental Finding of Microfilaria in Lymph Node Cytology: A Case Report

Filariasis is a global public health problem. We routinely examine it in peripheral smears made from samples collected during the night. Though the prevalence is high, microfilariae are rarely found in cytology smears. A lymph node presenting as a filarial nodule is an unusual occurrence. Also, lymph node fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) with a finding of microfilariae is uncommon. We would like to report the case of incidental microfilariae finding in a patient who presented with a supraclavicular lymph node mass. The patient presented with a right supraclavicular lymph node mass of size 2 cm × 2 cm and severe fever during the night for six months. The USG-neck region revealed enlarged lymph nodes in the right supraclavicular region. She was provisionally diagnosed as a case of cervical lymph node swelling under evaluation. However, on ultrasound-guided FNAC of the lymph node, microfilariae were found incidentally. In cases where clinical presentations of filariasis are absent, FNAC may aid in the diagnosis of microfilariae in the lymph node.