The Unexpected Abdominal Mass in a 3-Year-Old.

Paediatric abdominal masses encompass a wide range of differential diagnoses including various inflammatory, benign and malignant aetiologies. A thorough clinical examination and imaging are the preliminary investigations of choice to ascertain the nature and extent of the abdominal mass. Fine needle aspiration biopsy cytology (FNABC) is a rapid, reliable and cost-effective tool for the definitive diagnosis.

The World Health Organization Reporting System for Lymph Node, Spleen, and Thymus Cytopathology - Part 1: Lymph node.

Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of lymph nodes is a widely used method for evaluating lymphadenopathy. FNAB offers general advantages of rapid turnaround time, low cost and minimal morbidity, and more specific advantages in various clinical situations, such as deeply located lymph nodes or patients with significant comorbidities. The FNAB sample can be utilized for a wide range of ancillary tests, including microbiological studies, immunocytochemistry for primary and metastatic neoplasms and flow cytometry immunophenotyping in cases of lymphoid-rich samples, where there is a suspicion for lymphomas.