Ohutneulanäytteessä

Ohutneulanäyte, or fine-needle aspiration (FNA), is a medical diagnostic procedure used to obtain a sample of cells from a lump or mass in the body. A very thin, hollow needle attached to a syringe is inserted into the suspicious area to collect cells. This technique is commonly employed in various medical specialties, including radiology, pathology, and oncology, to investigate palpable masses or abnormalities detected through imaging.

The procedure is typically performed in an outpatient setting and is relatively quick and minimally invasive. Local anesthesia may be used to numb the skin at the puncture site, though it is often not necessary due to the small size of the needle. The collected cells are then smeared onto a glass slide, fixed, and sent to a laboratory for microscopic examination by a pathologist. Sometimes, the cells are collected in a liquid medium for further analysis.

Ohutneulanäyte can help determine whether a lump is benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous), and can also identify the specific type of cells present. This information is crucial for guiding treatment decisions. While generally safe, potential complications, though rare, can include minor bleeding, bruising, or infection at the needle insertion site. The diagnostic accuracy of FNA can be influenced by factors such as the skill of the operator, the quality of the sample obtained, and the interpretation by the pathologist. In some cases, a repeat FNA or a surgical biopsy may be required if the initial sample is inconclusive.