Elastic Fibers in Elastofibroma Dorsi by Fine-Needle Aspiration

Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) features of elastofibroma dorsi (EFD) in a 56-year-old woman were evaluated. The patient presented with 5 cm soft tissue mass located between the inferior part of scapula and the chest wall. FNA smears were hypercellular, characterized by a mixture of uniform spindle cells, mature adipocytes, and collagen tissue fragments in varying proportions. The cytological findings included abundant degenerated elastic fibers presented as linear ("braid-like") and globular bodies with shell-like and stellate appearances with serrate borders, permitting a diagnosis of EFD. Occurrence of degenerated elastic fibers in FNA smears of elastofibroma is a highly diagnostic sign in the typical clinical setting and eliminates the need for preoperative histological examination. (C) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.