{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T16:22:40Z","timestamp":1787847760135,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)","issue":"1","content-domain":{"domain":["lww.com","ovid.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,1]]},"abstract":"\n Background:<\/jats:title>\n Pure neuritic leprosy (PNL) poses a diagnostic challenge because of absence of skin patches, inconclusive skin biopsies and nerve conduction studies. Nerve biopsy though the diagnostic gold standard, is invasive, requires expertise, and may not be feasible in all cases. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of accessible thickened nerves can be utilized as a minimally invasive diagnostic modality in PNL. This study was carried out to describe cytomorphological patterns of nerve aspirates in patients of PNL for diagnosis and classification of leprosy and study its advantage, if any, over skin biopsy.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods:<\/jats:title>\n Twenty-seven treatment naive clinically diagnosed patients of PNL were included in this cross-sectional study carried out from January 2017 to December 2018 at a tertiary care centre in Western India. FNAC was done from a clinically involved nerve and aspirates were evaluated for cytomorphological characteristics and the presence of Acid-Fast Lepra bacilli.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results:<\/jats:title>\n \n Nerve aspirates were diagnostic in 10 (37%) patients while 17 (63%) aspirates showed non-specific or no inflammation. Of the diagnostic aspirates, six (22.2%) were classified as tuberculoid leprosy, three (11.1%) as lepromatous and one (3.7%) as borderline leprosy.\n Mycobacterium leprae<\/jats:italic>\n were demonstrated among three (11.1%) of these aspirates. In comparison, only three (11.1%) skin biopsies were diagnostic of leprosy with features of indeterminate spectrum. Remaining 24 skin biopsies showed normal histology in 20 (74.1%) cases to perivascular lymphocytic infiltrate in four (14.8%) cases.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion:<\/jats:title>\n Our study demonstrates that FNAC of clinically thickened nerves has a better diagnostic yield than skin biopsy in PNL and shows all spectrums of leprosy. It also offers the advantage of sampling major nerve trunks without the fear of residual neurological deficit. However, most of the smears were paucicellular and a negative aspirate does not rule out leprosy.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.4103\/joc.joc_182_20","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,8]],"date-time":"2021-01-08T07:12:47Z","timestamp":1610089967000},"page":"14-20","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/lww.0000000000001000","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Cytomorphological Patterns of Nerve Aspirates in Pure Neuritic Leprosy\u2014A Single Centre Cross-Sectional Observational Study"],"prefix":"10.4103","volume":"38","author":[{"given":"Sunmeet","family":"Sandhu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Deep K.","family":"Raman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aradhana","family":"Sood","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Preema","family":"Sinha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Prince Y.","family":"Singh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Prashant K.","family":"Dixit","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"276","reference":[{"key":"R1-3-20240905","first-page":"137","article-title":"A study of pure neuritic leprosy: Clinical experience","volume":"68","author":"Mahajan","year":"1996","journal-title":"Indian J Lepr"},{"key":"R2-3-20240905","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"284","DOI":"10.1489\/0020-7349(2004)72<284:PNLIIA>2.0.CO;2","article-title":"Pure Neuritic Leprosy in India: An Appraisal","volume":"72","author":"Kumar","year":"2004","journal-title":"Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis"},{"key":"R3-3-20240905","first-page":"90","article-title":"Epidemiology of (Poly) neuritic type of leprosy","volume":"44","author":"Noordeen","year":"1972","journal-title":"Lepr India"},{"key":"R5-3-20240905","first-page":"278","article-title":"An evaluation of sural nerve biopsy in leprosy","volume":"38","author":"Enna","year":"1970","journal-title":"Int J Lepr"},{"key":"R6-3-20240905","first-page":"187","article-title":"Neuritic leprosy: Further progression and significance","volume":"9","author":"Mishra","year":"1995","journal-title":"Acta Leprol"},{"key":"R7-3-20240905","first-page":"385","article-title":"A clinical, immunological, and histological study of neuritic leprosy patients","volume":"59","author":"Kaur","year":"1991","journal-title":"Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis"},{"key":"R8-3-20240905","first-page":"171","article-title":"Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of nerves in leprosy","volume":"72","author":"Vijaikumar","year":"2001","journal-title":"Lepr Rev"},{"key":"R9-3-20240905","first-page":"429","article-title":"Cytodiagnosis of primary neuritic leprosy","volume":"67","author":"Jayaseelan","year":"1999","journal-title":"Int J Lepr other Mycobact Dis"},{"key":"R10-3-20240905","first-page":"158712","article-title":"Fine needle aspiration cytology in diagnosis of pure neuritic leprosy","volume":"2011","author":"Kumar","year":"2011","journal-title":"Patholog Res Int"},{"key":"R11-3-20240905","first-page":"597","article-title":"Cytological needle aspiration of the nerve for the diagnosis of pure neural leprosy","volume":"61","author":"Theuvenet","year":"1993","journal-title":"Int J Lepr other Mycobact Dis"},{"key":"R12-3-20240905","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"789","DOI":"10.4103\/0378-6323.120731","article-title":"Use of fine needle aspirate from peripheral nerves of pure-neural leprosy for cytology and PCR to confirm the diagnosis: A pilot study","volume":"79","author":"Reja","year":"2013","journal-title":"Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol"},{"key":"R13-3-20240905","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"635","DOI":"10.4103\/ijd.IJD_115_17","article-title":"Use of fine needle aspirate from peripheral nerves of pure-neural leprosy for cytology and polymerase chain reaction to confirm the diagnosis: A follow-up study of 4 years","volume":"62","author":"De","year":"2017","journal-title":"Indian J Dermatol"},{"key":"R15-3-20240905","first-page":"132","article-title":"A study of mono-neuritic lesions in a leprosy clinic","volume":"48","author":"Dongre V","year":"1976","journal-title":"Lepr India"},{"key":"R16-3-20240905","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"13","DOI":"10.4103\/idoj.IDOJ_118_18","article-title":"A 10-year retrospective descriptive study on pure neuritic leprosy from a tertiary referral centre","volume":"10","author":"Kolleri","year":"2019","journal-title":"Indian Dermatol Online J"},{"key":"R17-3-20240905","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"203","DOI":"10.47878\/hi.2007.v32.36306","article-title":"O paciente com suspeita de hansen\u00edase primariamente neural","volume":"32","author":"Garbino","year":"2007","journal-title":"Hansen Int"},{"key":"R18-3-20240905","first-page":"61","article-title":"\u201cDiagnosis of pure neuritic leprosy\u201d","volume":"7","author":"Wilder-Smith","year":"2002","journal-title":"Neurol J South East Asia"},{"key":"R19-3-20240905","first-page":"351","article-title":"Histological studies in primary neuritic leprosy: Changes in the apparently normal skin","volume":"69","author":"Suneetha","year":"1998","journal-title":"Lepr Rev"},{"key":"R20-3-20240905","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"170","DOI":"10.4103\/0970-9371.168843","article-title":"Sensory cutaneous nerve fine-needle aspiration in Hansen's disease: A retrospective analysis of our experience","volume":"32","author":"Prasoon","year":"2015","journal-title":"J Cytol Acad Cytol"},{"key":"R21-3-20240905","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"A157","DOI":"10.21276\/apalm.1178","article-title":"Diagnostic utility of fine needle aspiration cytology of sensory cutaneous nerve in leprosy","volume":"4","author":"Naik","year":"2017","journal-title":"Ann Pathol Lab Med"},{"key":"R22-3-20240905","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"806","DOI":"10.1007\/s00415-003-1081-5","article-title":"Criteria for diagnosis of pure neural leprosy","volume":"250","author":"Jardim","year":"2003","journal-title":"J Neurol"},{"key":"R23-3-20240905","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"368","DOI":"10.1159\/000326535","article-title":"Fine needle aspiration cytology of leprous neuritis","volume":"47","author":"Singh","year":"2003","journal-title":"Acta Cytol"},{"key":"R24-3-20240905","first-page":"41","article-title":"Segmental necrotizing granulomatous neuritis of leprosy","volume":"48","author":"Chandi","year":"1980","journal-title":"Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis"},{"key":"R25-3-20240905","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"711","DOI":"10.14260\/jemds\/2016\/164","article-title":"Nerve FNAC in diagnosing Hansen's disease: A prospective study","volume":"5","author":"Talwar","year":"2016","journal-title":"J Evol Med Dent Sci"},{"key":"R26-3-20240905","first-page":"384","article-title":"Exacerbation reactions in hyperactive lepromatous leprosy","volume":"52","author":"Ridley","year":"1984","journal-title":"Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis"}],"container-title":["Journal of Cytology"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.ovid.com\/10.4103\/JOC.JOC_182_20","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T15:36:08Z","timestamp":1787844968000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.ovid.com\/10.4103\/JOC.JOC_182_20"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2021,1]]},"references-count":24,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4103\/joc.joc_182_20","relation":{},"ISSN":["0970-9371"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0970-9371","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2021,1]]}}}