Diagnostic Value of Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy in Malignant Thyroid Nodules: Utility for Micronodules

Abstract

<b>Background:</b> The diagnostic approach to thyroid nodules involves ultrasound-guided fine needle aspirationbiopsy (US-FNAB).We especially aimed to evaluate the contribution and the place of US-FNAB in preoperativeevaluation of the malignant cases and draw attention to discordant cases diagnosed with papillary thyroidmicrocarcinoma (PTMC). Materials and <br/><b>Methods</b>: A total of 276 cases were retrospectively reviewed who weresubsequently diagnosed with a malignancy and who underwent US-FNAB. <br/><b>Results</b>: Some 45 were found to havepreviously undergone the US-FNAB procedure. Of the patients in whom the surgical specimen was diagnosedwith a malignancy, 21 (46.7%) were diagnosed as malignant or suspicious for malignancy, and 24 (53.3%) wereconcluded as benign or insufficient for diagnosis. Patients with the diagnosis of PTMC outnumbering the otherswas a striking finding (11 cases, 24%). <br/><b>Conclusions</b>: We suggest performing repeat aspiration biopsy consideringsampling errors in cases where inconsistency exists between clinical findings and cytological results in thyroidnodules smaller than 10 mm in diameter and with suspicious findings on ultrasonography.