Welcome
MD Pathology is pleased to announce the availability of Fine Needle Aspiration biopsy (FNA) service. FNA is applicable to palpable mass lesions and offers several advantages to both the physician and their patients.
What is Fine Needle Aspiration?
Fine needle aspiration is a way to check a mass or lump when the referring physician cannot define the cause. FNA is a technique in which a very small needle is inserted into a lump and cells are withdrawn for microscopic diagnosis. FNA is an excellent way to evaluate lumps because of its simplicity, ease, safety, and accuracy. A preliminary diagnosis is usually made within an hour, thus providing the referring physician with valuable information with which to manage the patient's health care properly and promptly. FNA is very cost-effective and may prevent the patient from having to undergo additional testing or an open surgical biopsy.
Why Fine Needle Aspiration?
Lumps have many causes. In broad terms, lumps may be the result of inflammation, infection, a growth of benign cells, or a growth of malignant cells. In most instances, lumps are not malignant or cancerous. However, it is important that the referring physician know the underlying cause or nature of the lump if the patient is to be treated appropriately.
How Is Fine Needle Aspiration Performed?
All pertinent medical history is received from the referring physician's office prior to the appointment being made. Once the patient arrives for their appointment, the procedure will be explained to the patient, any questions answered and patient consent obtained. The skin overlying the biopsy site will be cleansed and sterilized. A local anesthetic is generally not necessary or advisable. A small needle will be placed in the lump to withdraw cells or fluid. The aspirated material will be smeared onto a slide, stained, and examined under a microscope. In most situations, Dr.Calle will immediately examine the aspirated material under a microscope while the patient waits, thus insuring the adequacy of the sample diagnostic material obtained. Depending on Dr. Calle's immediate evaluation, the lesion may be aspirated again. Repeated aspirations may provide additional diagnostic material, allow for culture of an infected site, or permit additional specialized studies of tumor cells.
What are the Risks and Complications of Fine Needle Aspiration?
The risks and complications of FNA are minimal. Occasionally patients may experience tenderness and bruising over the biopsy site that usually goes away in a few days.
How Long Must the Patient Wait for the Results?
The preliminary FNA interpretation is usually reported to the referring physician on the same day with the final report issued within 48 hours. The referring physician will then contact the patient to discuss the findings of the FNA.
How Accurate is Fine Needle Aspiration?
In skilled hands, FNA achieves a diagnostic rate similar to open surgical biopsy for many types of lesions. No medical test is 100 percent accurate. Depending on several factors, including size and location of the lump, FNA is about 95% accurate. Sometimes, an accurate diagnosis can't be made. This might happen if the fluid had too much blood or the mass had too much swelling. A recent review of Dr. Calle's FNA diagnoses for 1999 and 2000 revealed a definitive diagnosis rendered 95 to 98 percent of the time, with near 100 percent correlation with subsequent surgical biopsy findings.
What Do the Results of Fine Needle Aspiration Mean?
The outcome of the FNA will frequently determine the next step in a patient's medical care. For example, if the patient's lump is due to an infection, cultures taken at the time of the FNA may allow the referring physician to administer more effective antibiotics or discontinue unnecessary antibiotics. Alternatively, if the lump is due to a benign tumor, the patient and the referring physician may discuss elective surgical removal of the lump. Removal of a benign tumor can often be delayed until a convenient time. If the lump is due to a malignant tumor, the patient and the referring physician may consider primary surgical treatment or other therapy.
Advantages of FNA for the Patient:
- Alleviation of fear and anxiety
- Requires no anesthesia or hospitalization
- Minimal pain and discomfort
- Cost-effective
Advantages of FNA for the physician and clinical management are:
- Immediate assessment of specimen adequacy, thereby preventing delays in diagnosis.
- Optimal results achieved through the pathologist's personal examination of the lesion in combination with a microscopic evaluation of the sample.
- Specific preparations of the specimen at the time of the procedure can be tailored to the differential diagnosis possibilities (i.e. special stains, cultures, etc.)
- Therapeutic for masses such as cysts and abscesses.
- Confirmation of malignancies without compromising the integrity of the mass.
- Immediate dialogue and feedback to clinicians.
Announcements
Fine Needle Aspiration biopsy services are available by appointment only Monday through Friday between the hours of 1:00pm and 5:00pm.
Insurance Accepted
Medicare
Please contact our office to obtain the most current contracting managed care information.
We currently do not accept medicaid.