IMCC Journal of Science

Abstract: 

Intracranial tumors are a common cause of mortality in the pediatric population; therefore, accurate and timely diagnosis is crucial. This article highlights the role of squash cytology in diagnosing pediatric intracranial tumors and its correlation with histopathology. A retrospective analytical study was conducted from April 2022 to August 2023. A total of 70 samples were collected for both intraoperative squash cytology and histopathology. Rapid Papanicolaou and hematoxylin-eosin staining kits were used for cytology, while hematoxylin-eosin staining was used for histopathological examination. To reduce bias, the histopathology reports were generated by a separate team of pathologists. Among the 70 pediatric patients with intracranial space-occupying lesions, 41 cases were neoplastic and 29 were non-neoplastic. Of the 41 neoplastic cases, 22 were supratentorial and 19 were infratentorial. Pilocytic astrocytoma was the most common pediatric intracranial tumor, followed by medulloblastoma. Squash cytology demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy, with a sensitivity of 97.60%, specificity of 96%, positive predictive value of 97.60%, negative predictive value of 96%, and overall accuracy of 97.13%. A limitation of this study was the unavailability of immunohistochemistry for all cases. Squash cytology provides valuable information about the adequacy of the sample, the etiology, and tumor grade. As a sensitive diagnostic test, squash cytology can improve the prognosis for pediatric patients with intracranial tumors in India and globally.

Keywords: histopathology; pediatric intracranial tumors; squash cytology