Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration in the diagnosis of thyroid nodules

A retrospective study of 28 patients who underwent ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy for thyroid nodular disease was performed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound-guided FNA biopsy in detecting malignancy of the thyroid. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predicative value were evaluated with respect to final histological surgical pathology. The study's results substantiate those of previous studies: when there is a negative ultrasound-guided FNA, there is high probability that the patient is free of thyroid malignancy and may be followed clinically without the need for surgery.