FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATION OF PRIMARY GALLBLADDER CARCINOMA

Primary carcinoma of the gallbladder is a rare neoplasm that is freque ntly difficult to diagnose preoperatively. The obstacles to diagnosis include vague symptoms and the relative inaccessibility of the gallbla dder and cystic duct to biopsy. Cytological descriptions of gallbladde r carcinoma are sparse and are largely confined to malignant cells ide ntified in aspirated bile. Examination of bile is a fairly insensitive technique for diagnosing carcinoma, partially due to the degradative effect of biliary salts on cellular morphology. In the following, we r eport the findings of three cases of primary carcinoma of the gallblad der examined by fine-needle aspiration cytology. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.