ArticleCureus2025
The Role of Immediate Ultrasound-Guided Fine-Needle Aspiration Cytology by Specialist Head and Neck Surgeons in a One-Stop Clinic: A Single-Centre Retrospective Analysis.
Article in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Article
- Evaluation of benign neck swellings management at a tertiary care setting.Bioinformation · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology (US-FNAC) is a minimally invasive diagnostic technique widely used for evaluating head and neck masses. In most centres, these procedures are performed by radiologists; however, increasing service demands have resulted in delays and diagnostic backlogs, with potential for adverse effects on outcomes. A solution to this could be the use of US-FNAC performed by specialist head and neck surgeons in a one-stop neck lump clinic. Limited data exists in the current literature on US-FNAC led by head and neck surgeons. Objective To assess the adequacy and effectiveness of US-FNAC samples collected by head and neck surgeons in a dedicated neck lump clinic. Primary outcomes were diagnostic yield, turnaround time, and the need for subsequent imaging. Methods A retrospective review was conducted over a 38-month period at a single National Health Service (NHS) centre. A total of 129 patients presenting with neck lumps, excluding thyroid cases, were included. Data collected included US-FNAC sample adequacy, cytology result turnaround time, and the rate of subsequent imaging following the procedure. Results Of the 129 patients, 85 (66%) yielded adequate samples for cytological diagnosis. Among these, 58 (68%) were diagnostic, while 27 (32%) were non-diagnostic and required further imaging. The mean turnaround time from US-FNAC to cytology report was five calendar days, equivalent to three working days. Subsequent imaging was performed in 116 cases (89%), primarily for patients with inadequate or non-diagnostic results. Conclusion Immediate US-FNAC performed by specialist head and neck surgeons within a one-stop clinic achieves high diagnostic adequacy with minimal delay. This approach supports timely multidisciplinary decision-making, optimises the diagnostic pathway, and offers a feasible solution to the increasing demand on radiology departments for head and neck cancer diagnostics.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.