Purpose: to determine the relationship between fine needle aspiration cytology guided by ultrasound of nonpalpable breast lesions (cystic or solid masses) with the ultrasound and histopathological features of the biopsy lesions. Methods: a total of 617 nonpalpable lesions were analyzed by ultrasound. Fine needle aspiration cytology was guided by ultrasonography and the cysts were distinguished from the solid masses by comparing the biopsies. The cytologic results were compared with the histological results in the case surgical biopsy was carried out. Results: of the 617 nonpalpable lesions 471 were cysts (451 simple cysts with 100% negative cytology and 20 cases were considered complex cysts; 3 (15%) of these had a positive or suspected cytology and in 2 cases malignancy was confirmed. There were 105 solid masses, 63 of them with negative cytology. Fifty-nine cases had a negative biopsy, and 4 cases (0.3%) were false-negative but all of them presented disagreement between the cytological and image features; in 14 cases (13%) there was a suspected cytology and in 5 of them carcinoma was confirmed; in 14 cases (13%), the samples were insufficient, 1 case was carcinoma and in 51 cases, a triple diagnosis was concordant and the lesions were followed-up. Conclusion: cytological analysis of simple cysts is not required, but when they are complex, cytological analysis is mandatery. In the case of nonpalpable solid masses, cytology must be correlated with ultrasound and mammography features. If the results are discordant, the lesion should be followed-up.
Breast; Breast; Nonpalpable lesion; Fine needle aspiration
