FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATION CYTOLOGY OF BENIGN NODULAR THYROID-DISEASE - VALUE OF RE-ASPIRATION

LUCAS A LLATJOS M SALINAS I REVERTER J PIZARRO E SANMARTI A

A. Lucas et al., FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATION CYTOLOGY OF BENIGN NODULAR THYROID-DISEASE - VALUE OF RE-ASPIRATION, European journal of endocrinology, 132(6), 1995, pp. 677-680

25

INGLESE

Article

Endocrynology & Metabolism

European journal of endocrinology → ACNP

0804-4643

132

6

1995

677 - 680

ISI

0804-4643(1995)132:6<677:FACOBN>2.0.ZU;2-B

Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) has become a widespread procedu re for the study of thyroid nodules (TN), Some authors recommend the p ractice of repeated punctures for their follow-up. This study was done to determine the usefulness of repeated FNAC in patients with benign nodular thyroid disease. We have studied 251 fine-needle re-aspiration s performed on 116 females aged 45.6+/-14 years with benign nodular th yroid disease. The time elapsed between each consecutive FNAC was 1 ye ar, No patients presented any changes in the size or consistency of th eir nodular goiters during this period; all FNACs were carried out by the same physician in the same thyroid area according to the Lowhagen technique, with a minimum of two or three aspirations of each nodule, and processed in the same way and valued by the same cytologist withou t any knowledge of previous cytological diagnoses. These were done usi ng strictly classical criteria (Lowhagen), One hundred and five out of 116 patients (90.51%) with two consecutive FNACs (210) showed identic al cytological diagnoses in the two specimens studied. The remaining 1 1 patients (9.48%) with two FNACs were diagnosed with colloid goiter a nd cyst alternately, Fifteen out of 19 patients (78.94%) with three FN ACs showed identical cytological diagnoses in the three samples and th e rest (21%) also demonstrated alternate diagnoses of colloid goiter a nd cyst, Our results show that the routine performance of repeated FNA C in the followup of females with benign nodular thyroid disease, with out any clinical changes, is of limited usefulness.