[Percutaneous transabdominal fine needle aspiration of regional lymph nodes in genitourinary cancer]

Percutaneous fine needle aspiration of retroperitoneal pelvic and abdominal lymph nodes was done in 21 patients with clinically localized bladder, prostate, or penile cancers. A diagnosis of metastases to regional lymph nodes was detected by this method in 6 patients, but only one case could be diagnosed by bipedal lymphography. Positive aspiration results may spare the patient with prostatic or bladder cancer an unnecessary radical operation. This method also enables the detection of micrometastasis of lymph node which can not be detected by lymphography. No complications were seen in this series.