Fine-needle aspiration cytology of the thyroid gland: Comparative analysis of experience at three hospitals

✍ Scribed by Aasmund Berner; Eva Sigstad; Manohar Pradhan; Krystyna K. Grøholt; Ben Davidson

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 59 KB
• Volume: 34
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 8755-1039
• DOI: 10.1002/dc.20384

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Fine‐needle cytology is an effective and accurate diagnostic method for the assessment of thyroid lesions. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of thyroid cytology at a tertiary where cytopathologists with experience in thyroid cytology participate in the procedure and compare it with results in two community hospitals lacking pathology departments and on‐site cytopathologists. A total of 1,770 specimens were diagnosed between 1998 and 2003. Of these, 425 were from the two local hospitals. The fraction of unsatisfactory specimens was 24% for submitted specimens and 9.5% for those taken in the presence of a cytopathologist. The percentage of malignant specimens was 4.1% at the tertiary center compared with 2.2% of submitted cases. These data highlight the need to centralize thyroid fine needle cytology to specialized centers with experienced cytopathologists. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2006; 34:97–100. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.