Fine-needle aspiration of six carotid body paragangliomas

We report six carotid body paragangliomas diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration (FNA) in five patients. A total of eight aspirations were performed. The cytologic findings are characteristic: hemorrhagic background, hypo- to hypercellular smears (depending on the skill of the aspirator) with cells having delicate, ill-defined, vacuolated cytoplasm, pleomorphic nuclei with distinct nucleoli, rare intranuclear cytoplasmic inclusions, and prominent rosette formation. No complications arose in any of the eight aspirations. FNA is a safe, accurate means of diagnosing carotid body paragangliomas. It can provide essential information for treatment planning and patient management.