DIAGNOSIS OF TUBERCULAR LYMPHADENOPATHY BY CARTRIDGE-BASED NUCLEIC ACID AMPLIFICATION TEST(CBNAAT)AND ITS CORRELATION WITH FINE NEEDLE ASPIRATION CYTOLOGY: AN INSTITUTION-BASED STUDY

Introduction: The highest burden of tuberculosis is seen in India, accounting for 21% incidence globally and a major cause of lymphadenopathy. Fine-needle aspiration cytology with Ziehl-Neelsen staining is routinely used as the diagnostic modalityfor testing Extra Pulmonary Tuberculosis. Although a presumptive diagnosis can be made easily, but due to low sensitivity, many a times definitive diagnosis is difficult. For overcoming these limitations a rapid and reliable Cartridge Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test method by WHO (2010) has been endorsed as an initial diagnostic tool in laboratories.