Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1983 Sep;36(9):1036–1045. doi: 10.1136/jcp.36.9.1036

Fine needle aspiration biopsy of the thyroid gland: a study of 304 cases.

K C Suen, N F Quenville
PMCID: PMC498465  PMID: 6886021

Abstract

We discuss the interpretation of thyroid aspiration cytology in the light of our experience and review the circumstances in which false positives and false negatives may occur. The technique is reliable but by no means infallible and it should not be regarded as a final diagnostic work-up. Its value lies in selecting patients with thyroid nodules for surgery. In the present series of 304 patients, 79 underwent operation and 37 malignancies were found. The incidence of malignancy among the surgically excised nodules was 47%, in contrast to 14% in the past. We estimated that 268 operations would be required to salvage the same number of malignancies without the use of fine needle aspiration biopsy.

Full text

PDF
1036

Images in this article

1037Image
on p.1037
1038Image
on p.1038
1038Image
on p.1038
1039Image
on p.1039
1039Image
on p.1039
1040Image
on p.1040
1040Image
on p.1040
1041Image
on p.1041
1041Image
on p.1041
1042Image
on p.1042

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Beckers C. Thyroid nodules. Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1979 Mar;8(1):181–192. doi: 10.1016/s0300-595x(79)80016-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Block M. A., Miller J. M., Kini S. R. The potential impact of needle biopsy on surgery for thyroid nodules. World J Surg. 1980 Nov;4(6):737–741. doi: 10.1007/BF02393534. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Boon M. E., Löwhagen T., Willems J. S. Planimetric studies on fine needle aspirates from follicular adenoma and follicular carcinoma of the thyroid. Acta Cytol. 1980 Mar-Apr;24(2):145–148. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Burns E. R., Soloff B. L., Hamma C., Buxton D. F. Nuclear pockets associated with the nucleolus in normal and neoplastic cells. Cancer Res. 1971 Feb;31(2):159–165. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Crile G., Jr Management of thyroid disease: with particular reference to thyroid nodules. Postgrad Med. 1976 Oct;60(4):105–108. doi: 10.1080/00325481.1976.11714446. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dent D. M., Miller A., Louw J. H. The place of surgery in nodular thyroid disease. S Afr Med J. 1975 Mar 8;49(10):354–357. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Esselstyn C. B., Jr, Crile G., Jr Needle aspiration and needle biopsy of the thyroid. World J Surg. 1978 May;2(3):321–329. doi: 10.1007/BF01561505. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Frable M. A., Frable W. J. Thin needle aspiration biopsy of the thyroid gland. Laryngoscope. 1980 Oct;90(10 Pt 1):1619–1625. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Friedman M., Shimaoka K., Getaz P. Needle aspiration of 310 thyroid lesions. Acta Cytol. 1979 May-Jun;23(3):194–203. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Friedman M., Shimaoka K., Rao U., Tsukada Y., Gavigan M., Tamura K. Diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (nodular presentation) by needle aspiration. Acta Cytol. 1981 Sep-Oct;25(5):513–522. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Katz A. D., Zager W. J. The malignant "cold" nodule of the thyroid. Am J Surg. 1976 Oct;132(4):459–462. doi: 10.1016/0002-9610(76)90319-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kendall L. W., Condon R. E. Prediction of malignancy in solitary thyroid nodules. Lancet. 1969 May 31;1(7605):1071–1073. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(69)91707-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kini S. R., Miller J. M., Hamburger J. I. Problems in the cytologic diagnosis of the "cold' thyroid nodule in patients with lymphocytic thyroiditis. Acta Cytol. 1981 Sep-Oct;25(5):506–512. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Knowlson G. T. The solitary thyroid nodule. A review of 771 thyroidectomy specimens. Br J Surg. 1971 Apr;58(4):253–254. doi: 10.1002/bjs.1800580404. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. LAHEY F. H., HARE H. F. Malignancy in adenomas of the thyroid. J Am Med Assoc. 1951 Mar 10;145(10):689–695. doi: 10.1001/jama.1951.02920280001001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Lang W., Atay Z., Georgii A. Die cytologische Unterscheidung follikulärer Tumoren in der Schilddrüse. Virchows Arch A Pathol Anat Histol. 1978 Jun 15;378(3):199–211. doi: 10.1007/BF00427360. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Ljungberg O. Cytologic diagnosis of medullary carcinoma of the thyroid gland with special regard to the demonstration of amyloid in smears of fine needle aspirates. Acta Cytol. 1972 May-Jun;16(3):253–255. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Löwhagen T., Granberg P. O., Lundell G., Skinnari P., Sundblad R., Willems J. S. Aspiration biopsy cytology (ABC) in nodules of the thyroid gland suspected to be malignant. Surg Clin North Am. 1979 Feb;59(1):3–18. doi: 10.1016/s0039-6109(16)41729-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Nilsson G. Nuclear size classes in the follicular epithelium of lymphoid thyroiditis. Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand A. 1976 Mar;84(2):165–171. doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1976.tb00086.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Persson P. S. Cytodiagnosis of thyroiditis. A comparative study of cytological, histological, immunological and clinical findings in thyroiditis, particularly in diffuse lymphoid thyroiditis. Acta Med Scand Suppl. 1968;483:7–100. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. SOKAL J. E. The problem of malignancy in nodular goiter: recapitulation and a challenge. J Am Med Assoc. 1959 May 23;170(4):405–412. doi: 10.1001/jama.1959.03010040001001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Silverberg S. G., Vidone R. A. Adenoma and carcinoma of the thyroid. Cancer. 1966 Aug;19(8):1053–1062. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(196608)19:8<1053::aid-cncr2820190803>3.0.co;2-e. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Sobel H. J. Cytoplasmic invaginations resembling nuclear inclusions. Arch Pathol. 1968 Jan;85(1):114–115. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Varhaug J. E., Segadal E., Heimann P. The utility of fine needle aspiration biopsy cytology in the management of thyroid tumors. World J Surg. 1981 Jul;5(4):573–577. doi: 10.1007/BF01655012. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Walfish P. G., Hazani E., Strawbridge H. T., Miskin M., Rosen I. B. Combined ultrasound and needle aspiration cytology in the assessment and management of hypofunctioning thyroid nodule. Ann Intern Med. 1977 Sep;87(3):270–274. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-87-3-270_1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Wang C., Vickery A. L., Jr, Maloof F. Needle biopsy of the thyroid. Surg Gynecol Obstet. 1976 Sep;143(3):365–368. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Pathology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES