ACCURACY OF CYTOLOGIC DIAGNOSIS OF CENTRAL NERVOUS-SYSTEM NEOPLASMS IN STEREOTACTIC BIOPSIES

  • 1 January 1984
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 28  (3) , 243-249
Abstract
The cytohistologic correlation is reported for 112 of the 128 consecutive stereotactic aspiration biopsies performed on patients with clinical and neuroradiologic evidence of brain tumors. The cytodiagnostic accuracy of benign and malignant tumors was 87% when adequate cell material was obtained. In 17 benign tumors of the sellar region, the diagnostic rate was 88%; cytologic examination independent of histologic biopsy is feasible in this area. The cytodiagnostic accuracy for 95 malignant CNS tumors was 87% after adjusting for the appreciable sampling error inherent in the use of a stereotactic procedure during the early phase of the study. Two histopathologically proven infectious lesions were reported cytologically as benign. The main microscopic problems were the recognition of highly differentiated astroglial neoplasms and the differential diagnosis between poorly differentiated brain neoplasms and metastases to the CNS.