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ABSTRACT
Thyroid nodules are an extremely common problem and approximately 5% of nodules are malignant. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is the most useful diagnostic method for differentiating benign from malignant thyroid nodules. In this study, the results of FNAB and pathologic diagnosis after surgery were compared to evaluate the confidence ratio of FNAB and determine the approach to patients with thyroid nodules. Ninety-nine patients, (82 females, 17 males; mean age: 42.2 ± 10.6 years) who underwent FNAB and then underwent surgery because of thyroid nodules, were evaluated retrospectively. The pathologic examination of surgical material of 10 of the 71 patients who had benign cytology with FNAB revealed malignancy, so the false negativity ratio was 14.1%. Six (42.9%) of the 14 patients that underwent surgery because of suspicious FNAB results were diagnosed as malignant histologically. But the pathological results of all (100%) patients evaluated as malignant with FNAB, were malignant. Therefore, these results support the literature suggesting that FNAB is the main procedure in the management of thyroid nodules. Thyroidectomy should be performed especially in patients whose FNAB results are malignant or suspicious. But also, we have to be careful while assessing the management of thyroid nodules, even if the FNAB result is benign cytology because of the high false negativity ratio of the test.
Thyroid nodules are an extremely common problem and approximately 5% of nodules are malignant. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is the most useful diagnostic method for differentiating benign from malignant thyroid nodules. In this study, the results of FNAB and pathologic diagnosis after surgery were compared to evaluate the confidence ratio of FNAB and determine the approach to patients with thyroid nodules. Ninety-nine patients, (82 females, 17 males; mean age: 42.2 ± 10.6 years) who underwent FNAB and then underwent surgery because of thyroid nodules, were evaluated retrospectively. The pathologic examination of surgical material of 10 of the 71 patients who had benign cytology with FNAB revealed malignancy, so the false negativity ratio was 14.1%. Six (42.9%) of the 14 patients that underwent surgery because of suspicious FNAB results were diagnosed as malignant histologically. But the pathological results of all (100%) patients evaluated as malignant with FNAB, were malignant. Therefore, these results support the literature suggesting that FNAB is the main procedure in the management of thyroid nodules. Thyroidectomy should be performed especially in patients whose FNAB results are malignant or suspicious. But also, we have to be careful while assessing the management of thyroid nodules, even if the FNAB result is benign cytology because of the high false negativity ratio of the test.