Punción de nódulos tiroídeos con aguja fina: análisis de los resultados obtenidos utilizando una nueva metódica con examen histológico de la muestra / Fine needle punction of thyroid nodules: analysis of obtained results using a new method with histological test of the sample

ABSTRACT

Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is the most usuful preoperative work up method for patients with nodular goiter. We analyze 173 patients that underwent FNAB and were subsequently operated. The sample obtained with FNAB was processed both for cytological and histological study, using methods developed at the hospital. The preoperative diagnosis reached was compared with that obtained with the surgical piece. Results showed that the the histological analysis of the FNAB sample improved the sensitivity of the method, when compared with the cytological study, from 68,5 percent to 87.8 percent (p<0,035) without modifying specificity (100 percent for both methods). It is concluded that FNAB with histological study of the sample has a high diagnostic yield and is exempt of complications