Percutaneous fine needle aspiration biopsy of the pancreas. Cytodiagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma

Percutaneous fine needle aspiration biopsies were performed on thirty-four patients with clinical suspicion of pancreatic carcinoma. The biopsies were positive in twenty-four of twenty-six patients with proven pancreatic carcinoma and there were no false positive results in this series. The various cytologic appearances of different kinds of cellular components and cytologic features of the pancreatic carcinoma observed in the aspiration biopsy were presented and illustrated. The punctures and aspirations of these thirty-four biopsies did not reveal any immediate complication with one exception of exacerbation of pancreatitis. Percutaneous fine needle aspiration biopsy of the pancreas under the guidance of ERCP or angiography is a reliable diagnostic method for pancreatic carcinoma.