Cytohistologic correlation of thyroid nodules

Mazeh, Haggi; Beglaibter, Nahum; Prus, Diana; Ariel, Ilana; Freund, Herbert R.

doi:10.1016/j.amjsurg.2006.10.025

« Previous Next »The American Journal of Surgery
Volume 194, Issue 2 , Pages 161-163, August 2007

Cytohistologic correlation of thyroid nodules

Departments of Surgery and Pathology, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Mount Scopus 24035 Jerusalem, Israel

Received 13 September 2006; received in revised form 23 October 2006 published online 17 May 2007.

Abstract

Background

Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is widely used as a diagnostic tool to assess thyroid nodules. This study correlates FNA cytology results with surgical pathologic findings.

Methods

All thyroidectomies performed between 1994 and 2004 were reviewed, identifying 242 patients. Data were obtained for FNA diagnosis, demographics, findings on ultrasound, and histologic findings.

Results

Among 89 patients with a carcinoma on FNA, 89% of cases were verified on final histopathology. Of 78 patients with “follicular lesion” on FNA, only 36% of cases were verified to be malignant at surgery. Only 13% of the 75 cases diagnosed as benign, mostly colloid nodules, on FNA were found to have a carcinoma on histopathology.

Conclusion

A cytologic diagnosis of papillary carcinoma has a highly predictive of thyroid cancer. When dealing with follicular lesions the predictive value of FNA drops considerably. However, we found a 13% false positive result to occur in FNA declared benign lesions.

Keywords: Thyroid nodule, Fine-needle aspiration, Follicular lesion, Thyroid cancer