[Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration in the diagnosis of thyroid nodule]

To evaluate the efficacy of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (US-FNA) in the diagnosis of thyroid nodules.

US-FNA was performed for 175 thyroid nodes in 168 patients aged 4 to 75 years in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from November 2004 to December 2008. The diagnostic data obtained from US-FNA were compared with those confirmed by surgical pathology and clinical follow-up. The US-FNA results were classified as benign, malignant, suspicious, or unsatisfactory.

Among these 175 thyroid nodules, surgical pathology and clinical follow-up confirmed that there were 39 malignant nodules and 136 benign nodules, while US-FNA showed that 124 aspirates (70.9%) were benign, 24 (13.7%) were malignant, 14 (8.0%) were suspicious, and 13 (7.4%) were unsatisfactory for interpretation. For US-FNA, the sensitivity was 81.1%, specificity was 93.6%, accuracy was 90.7%positive predictive value was 78.9%and negative predictive value was 94.4%. Post-puncture bleeding was observed in 3 nodules (1.7%).

US-FNA is accurate and reliable in diagnosing thyroid nodules.