Correlation between thyroid fine needle aspiration and pathological examination: a 10 year retrospective study

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Oncology
• Pathology

Background:

• Thyroid nodules are common, and accurate preoperative diagnosis is crucial for appropriate management.
• Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is a primary diagnostic tool for thyroid nodules, but its performance varies.
• Histopathological examination after thyroidectomy serves as the gold standard for diagnosing thyroid neoplasms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the diagnostic performance of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) in identifying benign and malignant thyroid neoplasms.
• To compare FNA results with post-thyroidectomy histopathological findings.
• To establish the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of FNA for thyroid pathologies.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 360 patients who underwent thyroidectomy between 2011 and 2021.
• Thyroid neoplasms were classified using the Bethesda System for cytologic diagnosis.
• Diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values were calculated and compared to histopathology.

Main Results:

• Of 360 patients, 142 (39.4%) had benign and 218 (60.6%) had malignant neoplasms.
• The overall diagnostic accuracy of FNA for carcinomas was 92%, with sensitivity of 94.4% and specificity of 86.9%.
• Positive and negative predictive values for FNA were 93.9% and 87.9%, respectively.

Conclusions:

• Fine-needle aspiration demonstrates high diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity in evaluating thyroid nodules.
• FNA is a reliable method for differentiating benign from malignant thyroid conditions prior to surgery.
• These findings support the continued use of FNA as a key diagnostic tool in thyroid nodule management.