Background: Cytological nuclear grading is one of the several key prognostic factors that should be addressed in cytological analysis of breast carcinomas. Aims: To evaluate different cytological nuclear grading methods on fine needle aspirates of breast carcinomas and its correlation with histopathological nuclear grading as well as with the immunocytochemical expression of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR). Materials and Methods: The smears from 30 cytologically proven cases of breast carcinoma were graded by - Nottingham's modification of Scarff Bloom Richardson, Fisher's modification of Black's nuclear grading and Robinson's cytological grading methods. 18 cases were available for correlation with histology grading. Results: Robbinson's cytological grading system was found to have the best correlation with histopathology grades (P < 0.001) as well as ER (P = 0.003) and PR (P = 0.001) expression on smears. Conclusions: The Richardson's cytology grading method is recommended for cytological nuclear grading along with ER / PR expression, without which the cytological diagnosis of breast carcinoma is incomplete.

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Malignant small round cell tumors are characterised by small, round, relatively undifferentiated cells. They generally include Ewing's sarcoma, peripheral neuroectodermal tumor, rhabdomyosarcoma, synovial sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, retinoblastoma, neuroblastoma, hepatoblastoma, and nephroblastoma or Wilms' tumor. Other differential diagnoses of small round cell tumors include small cell osteogenic sarcoma, undifferentiated hepatoblastoma, granulocytic sarcoma, and intraabdominal desmoplastic small round cell tumor. Differential diagnosis of small round cell tumors is particularly difficult due to their undifferentiated or primitive character. Tumors that show good differentiation are generally easy to diagnose, but when a tumor is poorly differentiated, identification of the diagnostic, morphological features is difficult and therefore, no definitive diagnosis may be possible. As seen in several study reports, fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) has become an important modality of diagnosis for these tumors. The technique yields adequate numbers of dissociated, viable cells, making it ideally suitable for ancillary techniques. Typically, a multimodal approach is employed and the principal ancillary techniques that have been found to be useful in classification are immunohistochemistry and immunophenotyping by flow cytometry, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and electron microscopy. However, the recent characterization of chromosomal breakpoints and the corresponding genes involved in malignant small round cell tumors means that it is possible to use molecular genetic approaches for detection.

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Besides peripheral blood smears, microfilariae have been described in aspirate smears from different sites. Identification of microfilariae in the chylous urine of otherwise asymptomatic filarial patients has been rarely described. One such case is presented.

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Background: Solid pseudopapillary tumor is a rare pancreatic neoplasm with uncertain to low malignant potential. This is an uncommon neoplasm with many pseudonyms, occurring predominantly in young woman under the age of thirty years. Aims: To study the cytomorphological features of six cases of solid and pseudopapillary epithelial neoplasm of pancreas diagnosed on fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in years 2005 to 2007 and its cyto-histological correlation. Materials and Methods: Image-guided FNAs was done in these six patients preoperatively. Alcohol-fixed smears were stained with Papanicolaou stain, cytomorphological findings were evaluated and diagnosis was made. Diagnosis was later confirmed by histology in all cases. Results: All six cases show characteristic cytological features such as hypercellular smears with presence of abundant delicate papillary fragments, dyscohesive cells, monomorphic tumor cells with delicate folded nuclear membranes, and foamy macrophages in the background. Conclusions: Preoperative correct diagnosis of solid pseudopapillary tumor of pancreas is possible on FNAC and by doing so it helps in management of this surgically curable neoplasm.

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Objectives: To evaluate the results of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in the diagnosis and management of thyroid lesions. Materials and Methods: A review was conducted of FNAC of diffuse or nodular thyroid lesions performed on 434 patients over a period of three years. The cytological results were correlated with clinical features, biochemical investigations, and subsequent histopathological examination and management of the patients. Results: The most frequently encountered lesion was the colloid goiter in 250 (57.60%) cases followed by thyroiditis in 119 (27.41%) cases, ten (2.30%) adenomatous goiters and two (0.004%) thyroglossal cysts. In the neoplastic group, 14 (1.38%) cases were reported as follicular/Hurthle cell neoplasms and 17 (3.91%) as malignant tumors. When compared with the clinical diagnosis, FNAC proved to be an improvement on the diagnosis of thyroiditis and malignancy when compared with that of goiter. FNA revealed a sensitivity of 97%, a specificity of 100%, a positive predictive value of 96% and a negative predictive value of 100%. Conclusions: FNAC is a minimally invasive, highly accurate and cost-effective procedure for the assessment of patients with thyroid lesions. It also helps in differentiating lesions that require surgery from those that can be managed otherwise.

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Objectives: To assess the utility of the cell block preparation method in increasing the sensitivity of cytodiagnosis of serous fluids and to know the primary site of malignant effusions. Materials and Methods: A total of 190 cases were subjected to routine smear examination as well as cell block preparation. After the cytological diagnosis, each case was objectively analysed for cellularity, arrangement (acini, papillae, cell balls, and proliferation spheres), cytoplasmic, and nuclear details. Results: Out of 190 cases, 70 cases were found to be malignant and had been examined in smears and paraffin-embedded cell blocks. Using a combination of the cell block and smear techniques yielded 13% more malignant cases than what were detected using smears by themselves. The combined technique helped to ascertain the primary site of malignancy in 83.3% of the cases, whereas the primary site could not be ascertained in 17.7% of the cases. Conclusions: The cell block technique not only increased the positive results, but also helped to demonstrate better architectural patterns, which could be of great help in making correct diagnosis of the primary site. The cell block technique was also useful for special stains and immunohistochemistry and can give morphological details by preserving the architectural patterns.

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Sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy (Rosai-Dorfman disease) is a rare benign disease of unknown etiology presenting with massive lymphadenopathy. These cases can often be misdiagnosed as lymphoma. Hence, it is important to distinguish Rosai-Dorfman disease from lymphoma and other causes of histiocytosis because of the different treatment modalities. We report here a case of Rosai-Dorfman presenting with massive bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy. We conclude that fine needle aspiration cytology is a useful and reliable tool for the diagnosis of Rosai-Dorfman disease due to which biopsy can be avoided in these patients, thus, reducing inconvenience to patients.

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Background: Parapharyngeal tumors are rare and often pose diagnostic difficulties due to their location and plethora of presentations. Objectives: The study was undertaken to study the occurrence in the population and to evaluate the exact nature by fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). Materials and Methods: A total of five hundred and six cases of lateral neck lesions were studied over three and half years. Of these 56 suspected parapharyngeal masses were selected by clinical and radiological methods. Cytopathology evaluation was done by fine needle aspiration cytology with computed tomography and ultrasonography guidance wherever necessary. Histopathology confirmation was available in all the cases. Results: On FNAC diagnosis could be established in 54 cases while in two cases the material was insufficient to establish a diagnosis. The tumors encountered were, pleomorphic adenoma (33), schwannoma (3), neurofibroma (11), paraganglioma (5), angiofibroma (1) and adenoid cystic carcinoma (1). Four false positives and two false negative cases were encountered. Overall sensitivity was 96%, with specificity of 99% and accuracy being 98.8%. Conclusions: With proper clinical and radiological assessment, FNAC can be extremely useful in diagnosing most of these lesions except a few which need histopathological and even immunohistochemical confirmation.

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Background: Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of oral and maxillofacial region has not been widely utilized for diagnosis due to diversity of lesion types, heterogeneity of cell populations and difficulties in reaching and aspirating these lesions. Aim: Our aim was to demonstrate the effectiveness of this cheap and simple procedure for the diagnosis of tumor and tumor like lesions of oral and maxillofacial region. In addition, we sought to highlight probable causes of errors in the cases showing lack of correlation between cytological and histological diagnoses. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 50 patients of all age groups with various palpable lesions in the oromaxillofacial region. A comparison between cytological and histological diagnosis was done wherever biopsy material was available. Results: The rate of unsatisfactory FNA was 4%. There were six false negative cases but no false positive case. The sensitivity of our study ranged from 77.7 to 75% including and excluding the suspicious cases, respectively. Specificity and positive predictive value was 100%. Conclusion: FNAC is a minimally invasive, highly accurate and cost-effective procedure for the assessment of patients with oromaxillofacial lesions. When applied in a proper manner, FNAC can help avoid a surgical biopsy in many cases.

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Background: Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of the thyroid gland has been widely and successfully utilized for diagnosis. Aim: Our aim was to demonstrate the effectiveness of this cheap and simple procedure for the diagnosis of different thyroid lesions, particularly, differentiation of malignant and nonmalignant lesions. In addition, we sought to highlight probable causes of error and possible remedies in the cases showing lack of correlation between cytological and histological diagnoses. Materials and Methods: A total of 288 cases of thyroid swellings were aspirated in our two-year study period. Cases were divided into four groups, namely, aspiration inadequate where diagnosis was not offered; a nonneoplastic group which included different goiters and thyroiditis; an indeterminate group which included cases showing features of follicular or Hurthle cell neoplasms, and a malignant group that included nonfollicular malignant tumors of the thyroid. Cases showing cytohistologic disparity were reevaluated. Results: Almost 14% of the cases could not be reported because of inadequate aspiration, however, an overall cytohistological correlation was achieved in 82.66% of all cases. Sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of malignancy were 92.7 and 98.2%, respectively. There were four false negative malignant cases with one false positive case and 13 cases failed to show any cytohistological correlation. Conclusions: FNAC is the single most important test for preoperative assessment of thyroid pathology if attention is paid to the clinical features and collection of samples from proper sites.

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Aim: The present study was done to evaluate the role of scrape cytology in the diagnosis of ovarian neoplasm and its utilization for teaching pathology residents. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective study on 50 solid/solid-cystic ovarian neoplasms sent in 10% buffered formalin. Scrapings obtained from the fresh cut surface of tumors were smeared uniformly on to glass slides, immediately fixed in 95% ethyl alcohol and stained with hematoxylin and eosin stain. Results: The overall diagnostic accuracy of scrape cytology has been satisfactory with 92% of cases correlating with the final diagnosis. Characteristic cytological pattern was noted in various types of surface epithelial, sex cord stromal and germ cell tumors. The technique had limited value in mucinous tumors to distinguish borderline cases from invasive carcinoma. Two mucinous carcinomas were diagnosed as borderline mucinous tumor and two endometrioid carcinomas were misinterpreted as cystadenocarcinoma on scrape cytology. Formalin did not interfere or produce any remarkable changes in cytomorphology. Conclusions: Scrape cytology is a simple, rapid, accurate, inexpensive adjunctive cytodiagnostic technique and its routine utilization in ovarian lesions could aid in expanding the cytological knowledge of ovarian neoplasms.

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Background: Evaluation of cytologic features is indispensable in the preoperative diagnosis and grading of infiltrating ductal breast carcinoma (CA) in fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) material and this method can also provide additional information regarding intrinsic features of the tumor as well as its prognosis. Aim: This study has been done to evaluate comparatively the cytologic and histomorphologic grading of infiltrating ductal carcinoma of breast with specific reference to lymph node metastasis and its role in prognostication. Materials and Methods: Forty three patients who underwent FNAC and mastectomy for infiltrating ductal carcinoma were cytologically and histologically graded (employing Robinson's cytologic grading system and Elston's modification of Bloom-Richardson system, respectively). Statistical analysis was done employing 'z' test and c² test to compare the two grading system and to examine the degree of correlation between the cytologic and histologic grades. Multiple regression analysis was done to assess the significance of every cytologic and histologic parameter. All 43 cases, graded cyto-histologically were also evaluated for presence or absence of metastasis to the regional lymph nodes employing c² test. Results: With histologic grade taken as the standard, cytology was found to be fairly comparable, for grading breast carcinoma (overall sensitivity 89.1%, specificity 100%). Further comparison of the two grading systems by Z-test showed that difference between the cytologic and histologic grading was insignificant in all the three grade (p > 0.05). Of the six parameters studied, cell dissociation, nucleoli and chromatin pattern were the most influential features (p < 0.001). The statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) was found in incidences of axillary lymph node metastatic rate in three cytologic grades (15.4% in grade I vs. 83.3% in grade III) as well. Conclusions: Apart from being simple and noninvasive, cytologic grading is comparable to histologic grading and might provide relevant information on the aggressiveness of invasive ductal carcinoma of breast and could be a useful parameter to take into consideration when selecting mode of therapy and to predict tumor behavior.

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Cutaneous metastasis is an uncommon manifestation of visceral malignancy and a grave prognostic indicator. In extremely rare cases it may be the presenting sign of underlying malignancy. Here we report two cases of carcinoma gall bladder that presented with skin nodule. Fine needle aspiration cytology of these nodules revealed metastatic deposits of adenocarcinoma and was instrumental in establishing the primaries.

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This study examines variation of morphologic features, including emperipolesis, during the evolution of a case of Rosai Dorfman Disease (RDD). A 44-year-old male patient with RDD affecting the salivary glands, cervical lymph nodes, nasal and maxillary sinus mucosa had a waxing and waning course over two and a half years, with episodic sudden increase in size followed by involution and then a static course with moderate sized swellings. Multiple aspirations and biopsies were performed, which form the basis of this study. Four classical cases of RDD on aspirates and another four on biopsy were analyzed for comparison, with quantification of the number of lymphocytes engulfed by histiocytes (emperipolesis). Three nasal biopsies and one salivary gland excision of the index case, performed during acute exacerbation, showed chronic inflammation and foamy histiocytes without emperipolesis, the aspirate showing emperipolesis nil in 45%, 1-3 lymphocytes in 15%, 4-10 in 36% and > 10 in 4%. Two aspirations and one lymph node biopsy done from static phase showed classical features of RDD with extensive emperipolesis, the aspirate from left cervical lymph node showing emperipolesis nil in 2%, 1-3 in 5%, 4-10 in 35% and > 10 in 58% while right cervical lymph node aspirate showed emperipolesis nil in 9%, 1-3 in 21%, 4-10 in 29% and > 10 in 41%. A biopsy performed from involuting cervical lymph node showed extensive apoptosis and vasculitis without foamy histiocytes or emperipolesis. For comparison, eight classical RDD cases showed abundant emperipolesis with mild variation. Emperipolesis is variable in RDD depending on disease activity, which has differential diagnostic relevance and demonstrates the natural history of this rare disease.

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Colloid carcinoma (pure mucinous carcinoma) is an uncommon variant of breast carcinoma with distinctive cytological and histological features. These tumors are characterised by islands of tumor cells floating in a sea of abundant extracellular mucin. We present the cytology of two cases of colloid carcinoma occurring in 80-year-old and 45-year-old females. The fine-needle aspiration cytology helps to subcategorize the tumor type, thereby enhancing the knowledge about the distinctive cytological features of special and uncommon variants of breast carcinoma, their course and prognosis. A distinctive micropapillary variant of pure mucinous carcinoma which is rarely described, is represented in one of the cases. Also we report, here, colloid carcinoma in a female of reproductive age, a relatively uncommon occurrence.

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Endometriosis is the presence of functioning endometrium outside the uterus. Endometriosis rarely occurs in the abdominal wall. Majority of abdominal wall endometriosis occur in or adjacent to surgical scars, following caesarean section or hysterectomy. Laparotomy scar endometriosis following salpingectomy for ectopic pregnancy has rarely been reported. We report a case of scar endometriosis following laparotomy for chronic ectopic, and diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). Excision biopsy confirmed the FNAC diagnosis of scar endometriosis.

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Eumycetoma is a chronic cutaneous and subcutaneous infection caused by various genera of fungi producing specific colored granules known as grains. A 45-year-old farmer presented clinically with a left foot mass with multiple discharging sinuses existing for last 3 years. Clinical and radiological findings suggested a diagnosis of chronic osteomyelitis with suspicion of tuberculosis. Imprints plus fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) smears exhibited distinct brown-black colonies of a fungus having branching and septate hyphae embedded in matrix like material against a mixed inflammatory background. Periodic acid Schiff (PAS) stain gave positive staining and subsequent fungal culture confirmed the cytological diagnosis and aided in species identification as Madurella mycetomatis. Thus, eumycetoma can precisely be diagnosed and confidently differentiated from similar conditions such as actinomycetoma by simple and inexpensive cytological techniques such as FNAC and imprint smears, employing routine May-Grόnwald-Giemsa, Papanicolaou and simple PAS stains on cytological specimen, thus leading to rapid diagnosis for institution of correct treatment.

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Background : Micronuclei in exfoliated oral epithelial cells have been shown in some studies to correlate with severity of this genotoxic damage. This severity can be measured in terms of grading of the lesions. Aim : To correlate frequency of micronuclei (MN) in oral exfoliated cells in clinically diagnosed cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) followed by a histopathological grading. Materials and Methods : The study subjects consisted of clinically diagnosed cases of OSCC. Healthy subjects without any tobacco consumption habits formed the control group. The cytosmears from both groups were stained with rapid Papanicolaou stain. MN were identified according to the criteria given by Countryman and Heddle with some modifications. Results : The frequency of MN was three to four times higher in patients with OSCC as compared to patients in the control group and the difference was found to be highly significant. In 75% cases, the cytological grade as determined by the frequency of micronuclei correlated with the histopathological grade and this observation was statistically significant. Conclusions : MN can be a candidate to serve as a biomarker for prediction of the grade of OSCC.

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Background: The use of oral exfoliative cytology as a diagnostic aid accentuates the need for establishing an accurate baseline, thereby enabling the comparison of abnormal oral tissue with established baseline. Aims and Objective: To detect any changes in the nuclear area (NA), cytoplasmic area (CA), and nuclear:cytoplasmic ratio (N:C ratio) values for clinically normal gingival smears in relation to age and sex of apparently healthy subjects. Materials and Methods: Gingival smears were collected from 80 (40 male, 40 female) apparently healthy subjects belonging to the age group of 0-20, 21-40, 41-60, and more than 60 years. Smear slides were fixed by using spray fixative. The smears were stained using Papanicolaou procedure. The cytoplasmic and NAs were measured using image analysis software. Statistical analysis of the data was done using one-way ANOVA with Tukey-HSD procedure and Student's t test. Results: The result showed that there was a significant difference (P<0.001) in NA, CA, and N:C in males of different age groups. There was a significant difference (P<0.001) in NA, CA, and N:C in females of different age groups. The difference in N:C between males and females was significant (P<0.001) in all the groups. The difference in NA, CA, and N:C with age irrespective of gender was significant (P<0.05). There was a significant difference (P<0.05) between males and females with respect to NA, CA, and N:C irrespective of age. Conclusion: Age-and sex-related alterations were observed in gingival smears, which could be a baseline for these variables to compare identical measurements, made on pathologic smears of oral premalignant and malignant lesions.

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Aim: Our study aimed at a cell pattern approach to interpret thyroid cytology and to demonstrate diagnostic accuracy of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) with an emphasis on diagnostic pitfalls. Materials and Methods: A total number of 218 goitre cases, from the year 2000 to 2004, were reviewed retrospectively from the cytology files, without considering the previous cytological diagnosis. Four cases with inadequate aspirate were excluded. The predominant cell pattern, such as macro/normofollicular, microfollicular, papillary, syncytial, dispersed and cystic pattern, was noted in each case. The final diagnosis was arrived by observing the cellular details and background elements. Cytological diagnosis was correlated with histopathology in 75 cases. The sensitivity and specificity were computed. Results: Normo/macrofollicular pattern was seen in 71.96% of nodular goitre and 6.9% of follicular neoplasms. Around 86.2% of follicular neoplasms and 17.6% of papillary carcinoma had microfollicular pattern. The papillary pattern was seen in 47% of papillary carcinoma. Syncytial pattern was noticed in 72.3% of chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis and 29.4% of papillary carcinoma. Cytological diagnosis was concordant with histopathological diagnosis in 65 cases. Overall sensitivity and specificity of FNAC in diagnosing neoplastic lesions of thyroid were 83.33 and 95.55%, respectively. Conclusion: FNAC is more sensitive and specific in triaging neoplastic from non-neoplastic thyroid lesions. Identification of the predominant cell pattern would be complementary to analysis of cell morphology and background details in cytological diagnosis of thyroid lesions. This approach helps to diagnose follicular neoplasm and follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma.

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Background : Breast carcinoma is the most common malignancy globally. Cytological evaluation in breast lesions is largely subjective. Gradual progression of cells from normal to invasive involves nuclear changes that need to be viewed objectively. Aims : This study aims to apply nuclear morphometry on cytological breast aspirates. It evaluates its utility in differentiating benign vs. malignant lesions and correlates it with cytologic grading in malignant cases. Setting and Design : Nuclear morphometric parameters of malignant and benign cases were compared. Parameters of malignant cases were correlated with cytologic grading. Materials and Methods : Cytology was used to categorize aspirates from breast lumps into malignant (53 cases) and benign (29 cases). One hundred cells per case in both groups were mapped on DEBEL Cytoscan and six geometrical and three textural parameters obtained were compared. In malignant cases, morphometry was correlated with Robinson's cytologic grading, which was further correlated in tissue sections (45 cases) with modified Scarff-Bloom-Richardson histologic grading. Statistical Analysis : Students "t"-test was applied for comparison between benign and malignant cases. One-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni's post hoc comparison was applied to compare the three cytologic grades. Results were considered significant when P<0.05. Results : Nuclear morphometry successfully differentiated between benign and malignant aspirates and correlated significantly with cytologic grades. Morphometry was especially useful in the diagnosis of atypical ductal hyperplasia and ductal carcinoma in situ. Useful parameters were mean nuclear area, long axis, short axis and total run length. Cytohistologic correlation was 83.3%, 88.9% and 88.9% for cytological grades 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Conclusions : Nuclear morphometry was thus a useful objective tool in the evaluation of breast masses.

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Background: Fibroadenomas and phyllodes tumors may have similar cytological appearances. However, a detailed study of cytomorphology of stromal elements may be helpful in differentiation. Aim: To evaluate the cytological features of phyllodes tumor in our study with special reference to features that can help distinguishing it from fibroadenoma. Materials and Methods: The archival materials of our hospital were searched from January 2006 to January 2009 for histopathologically-diagnosed cases of phyllodes tumor. The cases in which previous cytopathology smears were available were included in the study. The cytomorphology of 10 such cases were compared with 25 cytologically-diagnosed and histopathologically-confirmed cases of fibroadenoma. Results: The size, cellularity of stromal fragments, and the proportion of spindle cells in the background are important features in such differentiation.

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Background: Fine needle aspiration has an important role in diagnosis of thyroid neoplasm. However, it is difficult to differentiate between follicular adenoma and follicular carcinoma by cytology alone. Recently, silver staining has been performed for nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs) to differentiate various tumors. Aims: The present study was undertaken to see if the AgNOR technique could distinguish between benign and malignant lesions, particularly, follicular neoplasm. Materials and Methods: One hundred forty cases of thyroid lesions were examined, which included colloid goiter (n = 36), multinodular goiter (n = 38), subacute thyroiditis (n = 6), Hashimoto's thyroiditis (n = 17), lymphocytic thyroiditis (n = 3), follicular neoplasm (n = 18), Hurthle cell neoplasm (n = 3), papillary carcinoma (n = 16), and medullary carcinoma (n = 3). Diagnosis was confirmed by histopathology in 80 cases. The usual one-step silver colloidal reaction was performed at room temperature for 35 minutes and intranuclear dots of silver deposits were counted in 100 cells. Results: AgNOR counts of benign and malignant lesions were compared and were found to be statistically significant (P < 0.001). The mean AgNOR counts were higher in neoplastic lesions. Conclusions: AgNOR counting in fine needle aspiration smears is a simple, sensitive, and cost-effective method for differentiating benign from malignant thyroid follicular neoplasms.

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Background: Filariasis is a major health problem in tropical countries including India. Fine needle aspiration cytology plays an important role in prompt recognition of disease. Aim: To assess the role of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in diagnosis of filariasis at all possible sites. Materials and Methods : Total 250 cases of superficial swellings at various sites were subjected to fine needle aspiration cytology. Results: Out of 250 cases, 24 cases of filariasis were detected which include breast lumps (8 cases), lymph nodes (6 cases), scrotal swellings (4 cases), thyroid swellings (3 cases), soft tissue swellings (2 cases) and ascitic fluid (1 case). Eosinophilia was present in 8 out of 24 cases with a percentage ranging from 12-24%. Significant adherence of inflammatory cells and macrophages to microfilariae was present in 3 out of 24 cases. Conclusions: In endemic areas, it should be considered one of the differential diagnoses of a superficial swelling. Careful screening of FNAC smears help in detecting microfilaria even in asymptomatic patients and thus plays a significant role in recognition of the disease and institution of specific treatment.

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