[Clinical value of fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the thyroid gland]

The work compares the results of fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FAB) of the thyroid gland in nodular and diffuse-nodular euthyroid goiter (63 patients) with the findings of pathomorphological study of the operative material (51 patients). The authors' original device for puncture of the thyroid node is described. The suggested method makes it possible to raise the efficacy of obtaining an adequate amount of aspired material to 92%. On the basis of the results of FAB and ultrasonic examination (USE) unfounded surgical intervention was avoided in 12 of the 63 cases. The results of the study bear evidence of the high diagnostic efficacy of FAB as to obtaining the cytologic material and revealing malignant degeneration (96% specificity). The authors believe that FAB in combination with USE should be an obligatory component of complex clinico-instrumental examination of patients with various diseases of the thyroid, nodular forms of affection in particular.