Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Baloch, Zubair W., MD, PhD
• LiVolsi, Virginia A., MD

Titel

Current role and value of fine-needle aspiration in nodular goitre

Ist Teil von

• Baillière's best practice & research. Clinical endocrinology & metabolism, 2014-08, Vol.28 (4), p.531-544

Ort / Verlag

Netherlands: Elsevier Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

2014

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Thyroid nodules are common and, depending on the detection technique used, can affect 50% or greater of the population. The primary diagnostic test to assess the nature of these nodules is fine-needle aspiration cytology. Most thyroid nodules are benign and often are multiple. However, the morphology of these nodules may mimic neoplasms showing features such as papillary growth, micro-follicles and even oncocytic metaplasia. Lesions with these features may be considered indeterminate for neoplasm or malignancy, and often require surgical excision to define their nature. The role of cytopathology in this area is to screen those definitely benign nodules, thus preventing surgery and reassuring both the patient and the clinician. In this review, we demonstrate many of the morphological manifestations of nodular goiter and stress the necessity of careful preparatory techniques. Although the past several years have witnessed the development of molecular testing to refine diagnostic cytology in the thyroid, it is still the role of the cytopathologist to identify those “indeterminant” nodules which should be tested. Thus, the cytopathologist contributes both an essential diagnostic and an important cost saving role which hopefully will continue in the future.