Cytopathology
Ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration (USFNA)
Equipment
Revised: 3 January 2019, last major update March 2013
Copyright: (c) 2002-2018, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: Equipment [title] ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration
Ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration (USFNA)
Equipment
Topic Completed: 1 March 2013
Revised: 3 January 2019, last major update March 2013
Copyright: (c) 2002-2018, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: Equipment [title] ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration
Table of Contents
Desirable equipment and supplies for USFNA of superficial sites | Supplies for FNA smear making, rapid interpretation and triage of FNA sample | Clinical imagesCite this page: Jakowski J. D., Meanor S. Equipment. PathologyOutlines.com website. http://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/cytopathologyusfnaequipment.html. Accessed December 8th, 2019.
Desirable equipment and supplies for USFNA of superficial sites
- Portable (laptop type) or small bedside ultrasound machine:
- B mode for small parts (e.g. thyroid), breast, musculoskeletal
- Electronic adjustment of focal zone and depth
- Caliper accuracy of better than 2% or 0.5 mm
- Cineloop up to 1 minute at 25 frames per second
- Removable storage media (USB, CD, etc.)
- DICOM (Digital Imaging and COmmunication in Medicine) standard
- PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System)
- Color Flow Doppler with / without Power Doppler
- Ultrasound transducer:
- Linear array with multifrequency capabilities
- Frequency ranges: 6 - 7 MHz to 10 - 12 MHz or higher
- Penetration: 6 cm or deeper
- Ultrasound coupling gel
- Ultrasound standoff pad (aids in imaging very superficial or skin based target lesions)
- Transducer covers
- IV extension tubing
- Needles of 27, 25, 23, 22 gauge, from 1.0, 1.5 and 3 inches long (2.5 to 9 cm)
- Disposable plastic syringes
- Skin disinfectant: alcohol pads (chlorohexidine or providine iodine)
- Transducer disinfectant (see manufacture recommendations as improper cleaning may cause damage and void warranty)
- Pen and pencils
- Plastic flexible ruler (for measuring lesions such as breast mass distance from the nipple)
- Surgical ink pen (for skin marking or insertion site marking)
- Sterile 4 x 4 sponges (e.g. to hold post biopsy pressure at needle puncture site)
- Gloves and safety glasses
- Small metal probe (to check transducer and planed needle insertion site over target lesion if needed)
- Aspiration syringe holder
- Local anesthesia (e.g. 1% lidocaine without epinephrine), if needed
- Drapes, sheets, gowns, pillows (to cover patient or biopsy site, to help position and comfort patient)
- Ice bag (to send home with patient if needed)
- Band aids
- Post aspiration biopsy handout informational sheet
- Sharps container
Supplies for FNA smear making, rapid interpretation and triage of FNA sample
- Microscope
- Frosted end glass microscope slides
- Romanowsky type stains (e.g. Diff-Quik)
- RPMI tissue culture media (for collection for flow cytometry studies, etc.)
- Alcohol spray fixative or 95% ethanol solution for fixing slides for Papanicolaou staining
- Formalin (for cell block of FNA rinse)
- Tube rack (to secure and hold FNA needle rinse tubes)
- Various size collection tubes to place fluids / FNA material or for special studies (e.g. thyroglobulin washout study)
- Sterile cup (to place aspirate material for culture)
- Sterile saline syringe (to add a few drops to the FNA material in the sterile cup to prevent drying during transport)
- Slide holder
Clinical images
Images hosted on PathOut server:
Basic supplies
Ultrasound supplies
Post aspiration
Rapid interpretation
Triaging
