Cytologic diagnosis of soft tissue and lymph node abnormalities

摘要

Lymph nodes are one of the most commonly sampled tissues for cytologic evaluation in veterinary medicine. This is primarily due to the fact that samples are easy to obtain and that abnormalities in the lymphoid tissue are often seen in systemic, as well as primary, lymphoid diseases. Almost invariably, the clinical problem is an enlarged lymph node(s). This enlargement may be generalized in the case of systemic diseases, or a localized enlargement when the lymph node is draining the area with the primary problem. Cytologic or histologic evaluation is required to differentiate the most common causes of "lymphadenomegaly" (big nodes)=lymphoid hyperplasia ("reactive" lymph node), lymphadenitis, metastatic neoplasia, and lymphosarcoma. The most common question that needs to be answered from cytologic examination is: Does the animal have lymphosarcoma?