Fine needle aspiration cytology and immunocytochemistry of myxopapillary ependymoma

摘要

Myxopapillary ependymoma (MPE) is a slow-growing tumour of the spinal cord, which is a challenging diagnosis when seen in cytology practice. We present the fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytolo-gical features of this rare tumour with immunocyto-chemical confirmation carried out on alcohol-fixed smears. A 36-year-old female patient presented with a large sacral swelling and pain in the lower limbs for 5 years. The swelling was painless and had gradually increased in size. There were no sensory or motor deficits. Bladder and bowel functions were normal. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the pelvis revealed a mass lesion involving the sacral bone with cystic degeneration. FNA was performed using a 23-gauge needle without applying suction. Both air-dried and alcohol-fixed smears were prepared for May-Griinwald-Giemsa (MGG) and Papanicolaou (Pap) stains, respectively. Smears for immunocytochemistry were wet-fixed in 95% ethanol.