Diagnostic accuracy of thyroid aspirative cytology in view of cumulative experience

Cytological findings of 100 fine-needle aspirations from thyroid nodules of 83 patients were reviewed and correlated with histological or clinical diagnoses. Diagnostic accuracy of inflammatory lesions, papillary carcinomas and nonfollicular tumors was very high and did not alter significantly after reexamination. The diagnostic accuracy of proliferative follicular lesions improved considerably with experience. There was some overlap in the diagnosis of follicular adenomas and goiters; we did not differentiate between follicular adenomas and carcinomas, both of which were reported as follicular tumors, but all cases of follicular carcinoma were diagnosed as follicular tumors, thus warranting biopsy.