THE VALUE OF FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATION CYTOL OGY IN THE DIAGNOSTIC MANAGEMENT OF TUBERCULOSIS

Twenty-one fine needle aspiration biopsies were performed with a diagn osis of tuberculosis or granulomatous inflammation. The ages of the pa tients ranged from 26 to 66 years (mean, 36 years); 16 were men and 5 women. Two of them were positive for the human immunodeficiency virus. In twenty cases, the cytological diagnosis was confirmed by culture a nd/or by recovery under a specific anti-tuberculous treatment. In one case, the necrosis observed cytologically was a tumoral necrosis after histological control. According to these results with a global accura cy of 95.2%, fine needle aspiration biopsy which offers the possibilit y of a thorough diagnosis in a short time (24 hours or less) is a usef ul method for the diagnosis of tuberculosis.