CT-guided needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of 112 vertebral lesions

Aspiration cytology under CT-guidance was utilised as a diagnostic device in 112 lesions of vertebrae from January, 1985 till August, 1992. The age of the patients ranged from 6 years to 82 years. The materials were spread on glass slides, air-dried and stained by May-Grunwald and Giemsa method. In few cases part of the aspirated material was utilised for special stain and cell block preparation. Analysis of results showed metastatic tumours in 61 cases, Tuberculous lesions in 24 cases, Plasmacytoma in 6 cases, Giant cell lesion in 6 cases, Eosinophilic Granuloma in 3 cases, Chordoma in 3 cases, Ewing's sarcoma in 2 cases, Hodgkin's disease in 2 cases, Chondrosarcoma in 1 case and no definite diagnosis was given in 4 cases. These 4 cases on exploration and biopsy proved to be osteoblastoma (2), haemangioma (1) and undifferentiated sarcoma in the other. The giant cell lesions on histopathology proved to be aneuryamal bone cysts in 4 cases while osteoclastoma in 2 cases. The diagnostic accuracy was 96.4%. No complication was encountered in the present study. Early diagnosis by needle aspiration cytology (NAC) prevented unnecessary surgical exploration in majority of the cases and treatment could be started at the earliest.