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A Comparative Study of Fine Needle Aspiration and Fine Needle Non-Aspiration Biopsy on Suspected Thyroid Nodules

Endocrine Pathology volume 20, pages 108–113 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Ultrasonography-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) and fine needle non-aspiration (FNNA) biopsy were performed consecutively on 104 patients (mean age 50 ± 15 years) affected by multinodular and uninodular goiter. Both techniques were executed on the same patients in the same clinical session beginning with the first (FNA) on half of the patients (randomly selected) and vice versa. The cytological findings on cell samples were divided into four groups: colloidal (benign), follicular (suspicious), malignant, and inadequate. The overall cytologic findings obtained with the two techniques were as follows (FNA % vs FNNA %): inadequate, 16.3% vs 5.8%; colloidal, 69.2% vs 76.9%; follicular, 9.6% vs 10.5%; and malignant, 4.8% vs 6.7%. A statistically significant difference between FNA and FNNA cytology was found only on the number of inadequate results (p = 0.015). Interestingly, the frequency of inadequate specimens for FNNA showed a significantly different distribution depending on the sequence (first or second) in which the technique was executed. In conclusion, FNA and FNNA are useful and cost-effective techniques for the pre-operative assessment of patients with thyroid nodules. However, due probably to its minimally invasive procedure, FNNA produces specimens of better quality and reduces inadequate results. For these reasons FNNA should be preferable to FNA for the cytological evaluation of thyroid nodules.

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Fig. 1

Abbreviations

FNA:

Fine needle aspiration

FNNA:

Fine needle non-aspiration

SNC:

Supracentrimetric

INC:

Infracentrimetric

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Author information

Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Largo F. Vito, 1-00168, Rome, Italy

    Federica Romitelli & Enrico Di Stasio

  2. Pathological Anatomy O.U., Ospedale “S. M. Goretti”, Latina, Italy

    Cristina Santoro

  3. Radiology O.U., Ospedale “S. M. Goretti”, Latina, Italy

    Mario Iozzino

  4. Surgery O.U., Casa di Cura “S. Marco”, Latina, Italy

    Augusto Orsini

  5. Thyroid Disease Ambulatory and Thyroid Echointervention, Ospedale “S. M. Goretti”, Latina, Italy

    Roberto Cesareo

Authors
  1. Federica Romitelli
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  2. Enrico Di Stasio
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  3. Cristina Santoro
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  4. Mario Iozzino
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  5. Augusto Orsini
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  6. Roberto Cesareo
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Correspondence to Enrico Di Stasio.

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Romitelli, F., Di Stasio, E., Santoro, C. et al. A Comparative Study of Fine Needle Aspiration and Fine Needle Non-Aspiration Biopsy on Suspected Thyroid Nodules. Endocr Pathol 20, 108–113 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12022-009-9074-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12022-009-9074-2

Keywords

  • thyroid
  • nodular goiter
  • FNA
  • FNNA
  • cytology