Diagnosing Kikuchi's disease on fine needle aspiration biopsy

Objective To investigate the diagnostic utility of fine needle aspiration ( FNA ) smear, cell block ( CB ), flow cytometry ( FC ) and tuberculosis polymerase chain reaction (Tb‐ PCR ) analysis for Kikuchi's disease ( KD ). Methods A total of 173 FNA biopsy samples were collected using a Youyi aspirator. KD was diagnosed by FNA smear, with or without, CB , FC and Tb‐ PCR . Results Out of 173 patients, 131 (75.7%) were female and 126 (72.8%) aged 21‐40 years. Of these, 171 patients (98.8%) presented with painful enlarged cervical lymph nodes. All cytological samples identified intracellular apoptotic debris embedded in the cytoplasm of crescentic and phagocytic macrophages. In 24 cell‐blocks ( CB s), clusters of CD 123 positive plasmacytoid monocytes were observed in KD . FC and CB s showed non‐specific lymphoid hyperplasia in nine cases with suspicious lymphoma. Tb‐ PCR was negative in five cases with suspicion of tuberculosis. Conclusions In summary, FNA biopsy is a fast, reliable, and relatively inexpensive diagnosis tool for KD . CB preparation is an important adjunct method for the diagnosis of KD .