Evaluation of Ascitic Fluid Cytology in a Tertiary Hospital in South-Western Nigeria: A 7-year Retrospective Study

Background: Ascites is the pathological accumulation of fluid within the peritoneal cavity of varied etiology. Various abnormalities can be detected through cytological analysis of ascitic fluid. Ascitic fluid cytology (AFC) is a rapid and cost-effective means of evaluating ascites to establish its...

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Main Authors: Oluwatosin O. Oguntoye, Oluwafunmilayo A. Oguntoye, Olawale M. Adeniyi, Oluwadamilola Gideon Osasona, Precious E. Nkereuwem
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2024-11-01
Series:Medical Journal of Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth
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Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/mjdrdypu.mjdrdypu_937_23
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author Oluwatosin O. Oguntoye
Oluwafunmilayo A. Oguntoye
Olawale M. Adeniyi
Oluwadamilola Gideon Osasona
Precious E. Nkereuwem
author_facet Oluwatosin O. Oguntoye
Oluwafunmilayo A. Oguntoye
Olawale M. Adeniyi
Oluwadamilola Gideon Osasona
Precious E. Nkereuwem
author_sort Oluwatosin O. Oguntoye
collection DOAJ
description Background: Ascites is the pathological accumulation of fluid within the peritoneal cavity of varied etiology. Various abnormalities can be detected through cytological analysis of ascitic fluid. Ascitic fluid cytology (AFC) is a rapid and cost-effective means of evaluating ascites to establish its nature and cause. Aim: To evaluate ascitic fluid cytological findings over a seven-year period and to correlate the cytological features with the clinical profile of the patients. Materials and Methods: This was an observational retrospective study conducted in a healthcare facility in south-western Nigeria. The reports of AFC tests performed from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2022 were retrieved to obtain the following information for analysis: Age, Gender, Tribe, Year of the test, Provisional diagnosis, and Cytological diagnosis. Results: The data of a total number of 121 patients were analyzed; 61 males (50.4%) and 60 females (49.6%) with a mean (±SD) age of 51.51 ± 15.22. Decompensated cirrhosis was the commonest clinical diagnosis 65 (53.7%) followed by hepatocellular carcinoma 11 (9.1%). Ascitic fluid cytological findings showed 45 (37.2%) were positive for malignant cells; 46 (38.0%) were negative for malignant cells; 13 (10.7%) were suspicious for malignancy; 9 (7.4%) were acellular smears; and 8 (6.6%) were inflammatory smears. The ascitic fluid of only 4 out of 11 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma tested positive for malignant cells, giving a sensitivity of 36.4%. Conclusion: AFC remains very useful in the diagnostic work-up of patients with ascites but should not be completely relied upon in confirming a malignancy, other additional diagnostic investigations should be deployed.
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spelling doaj-art-3a0b5f4466ec466995fbfb375c22ae5c2025-08-20T02:20:51ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsMedical Journal of Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth2589-83022589-83102024-11-011761182119010.4103/mjdrdypu.mjdrdypu_937_23Evaluation of Ascitic Fluid Cytology in a Tertiary Hospital in South-Western Nigeria: A 7-year Retrospective StudyOluwatosin O. OguntoyeOluwafunmilayo A. OguntoyeOlawale M. AdeniyiOluwadamilola Gideon OsasonaPrecious E. NkereuwemBackground: Ascites is the pathological accumulation of fluid within the peritoneal cavity of varied etiology. Various abnormalities can be detected through cytological analysis of ascitic fluid. Ascitic fluid cytology (AFC) is a rapid and cost-effective means of evaluating ascites to establish its nature and cause. Aim: To evaluate ascitic fluid cytological findings over a seven-year period and to correlate the cytological features with the clinical profile of the patients. Materials and Methods: This was an observational retrospective study conducted in a healthcare facility in south-western Nigeria. The reports of AFC tests performed from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2022 were retrieved to obtain the following information for analysis: Age, Gender, Tribe, Year of the test, Provisional diagnosis, and Cytological diagnosis. Results: The data of a total number of 121 patients were analyzed; 61 males (50.4%) and 60 females (49.6%) with a mean (±SD) age of 51.51 ± 15.22. Decompensated cirrhosis was the commonest clinical diagnosis 65 (53.7%) followed by hepatocellular carcinoma 11 (9.1%). Ascitic fluid cytological findings showed 45 (37.2%) were positive for malignant cells; 46 (38.0%) were negative for malignant cells; 13 (10.7%) were suspicious for malignancy; 9 (7.4%) were acellular smears; and 8 (6.6%) were inflammatory smears. The ascitic fluid of only 4 out of 11 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma tested positive for malignant cells, giving a sensitivity of 36.4%. Conclusion: AFC remains very useful in the diagnostic work-up of patients with ascites but should not be completely relied upon in confirming a malignancy, other additional diagnostic investigations should be deployed.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/mjdrdypu.mjdrdypu_937_23ascitescytologyevaluationliver diseasemalignancynigeria
spellingShingle Oluwatosin O. Oguntoye
Oluwafunmilayo A. Oguntoye
Olawale M. Adeniyi
Oluwadamilola Gideon Osasona
Precious E. Nkereuwem
Evaluation of Ascitic Fluid Cytology in a Tertiary Hospital in South-Western Nigeria: A 7-year Retrospective Study
Medical Journal of Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth
ascites
cytology
evaluation
liver disease
malignancy
nigeria
title Evaluation of Ascitic Fluid Cytology in a Tertiary Hospital in South-Western Nigeria: A 7-year Retrospective Study
title_full Evaluation of Ascitic Fluid Cytology in a Tertiary Hospital in South-Western Nigeria: A 7-year Retrospective Study
title_fullStr Evaluation of Ascitic Fluid Cytology in a Tertiary Hospital in South-Western Nigeria: A 7-year Retrospective Study
title_full_unstemmed Evaluation of Ascitic Fluid Cytology in a Tertiary Hospital in South-Western Nigeria: A 7-year Retrospective Study
title_short Evaluation of Ascitic Fluid Cytology in a Tertiary Hospital in South-Western Nigeria: A 7-year Retrospective Study
title_sort evaluation of ascitic fluid cytology in a tertiary hospital in south western nigeria a 7 year retrospective study
topic ascites
cytology
evaluation
liver disease
malignancy
nigeria
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/mjdrdypu.mjdrdypu_937_23
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