Efficacy of fine needle aspiration cytology in lesions of head and neck region: A review

Fine needle aspiration has been practiced for more than 80 years as a technique to diagnose infections and malignancy. FNAC is rapidly gaining acceptance as a diagnostic modality in many surgical and non surgical specialities although the specificity of oral and maxillofacial surgery seems to have ignored its many advantages over the more conventional techniques of incisional and excisional biopsies. The effectiveness of fine needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis for lesion of thyroid, breast and pancreas has been well documented. We recommend an expanded role of FNAC in the lesion of the head and neck region. Also the recent momentum towards cost control encouraged us to review our experience in literature with fine needle aspiration biopsy to analyse its effectiveness and accuracy. This article contains a series of reviews, which aim to provide readers with a quick overview and update of recent publications in relation to fine needle aspiration cytology in head and neck region.