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Efficacy of Ultrasound-Guided Fine-Needle Aspiration Biopsy in the Diagnosis of Complex Thyroid Nodules

Serviço de Endocrinologia e Metabologia do Paraná do Hospital de Clínicas (M.B., H.G.) and Serviço de Anatomia Patológica do Hospital de Clínicas (T.C.C., L.M.C.), Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba 80.060-240, Brazil

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Milena Braga, M.D., 500 West University Parkway, Suite 12-R, Baltimore, Maryland 21210. E-mail: bragamd{at}aol.com

Abstract

Cystic thyroid nodules are considered to be one of the major causes of nondiagnostic and false-negative results on conventional fine-needle aspiration biopsy, thus limiting the potential of this method for the evaluation of complex (solid-cystic) thyroid nodules. Although ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy has emerged as a highly effective diagnostic method for the assessment of nonpalpable and difficult to palpate nodules, its role in complex nodules has not yet been carefully evaluated. In this study, we report the efficacy of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy in 124 complex nodules in 113 patients. This method proved to be highly effective, yielding a satisfactory specimen for cytological evaluation in 94% of the nodules, suggesting that it is an excellent modality for the evaluation of complex nodules and also for the reevaluation of those nodules with a nondiagnostic result on conventional fine-needle aspiration biopsy.

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