Aspiration cytology in Perth: experience of 673 cases

The experience gained from the investigation of 673 patients by aspiration cytology is reviewed. The diagnostic accuracy of the technique is not satisfactorily demonstrated in this series owing to incomplete follow-up information. However, the almost unlimited application of aspiration cytology as a preliminary diagnostic test in focal lesions of most organs and tissues is emphasized. The chief merit of the technique is it simplicity which shoudl put it into the very front line of diagnostic procedures in suspected neoplastic disease.