Role Of Needle Aspiration Biopsy Research Articles

The role of needle aspiration biopsy in the selection of patients for thyroidectomy.

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy is gaining in popularity among all diagnostic tests used in the evaluation of patients for thyroidectomy. Its safety and accuracy have been well documented, but criteria regarding when FNA is appropriate are lacking. We retrospectively reviewed our experience with 408 consecutive patients evaluated for thyroid surgery. Two hundred seventy-three ultimately underwent thyroidectomy; 100 of these had preoperative FNA. An additional 135 patients underwent FNA without surgery. Patients who benefited from FNA were those in whom cytologic findings led to surgery for otherwise unsuspected malignancy (15), and those with asymptomatic benign nodules who avoided unnecessary thyroidectomy on the basis of FNA findings (96). FNA is superfluous when clinical conditions mandate surgery. These include nodules that arouse clinical suspicion of malignancy, massive nodules that cause aerodigestive tract compression or cosmetic disfigurement, and nodules extending into the mediastinum. All patients with asymptomatic, clinically benign thyroid nodules should undergo FNA biopsy, as approximately 50% can anticipate significant benefit from the procedure.

The Role of Needle Aspiration Biopsy in the Selection of Patients for Thyroidectomy

In a presentation at the Eastern Section Triological Society meeting, Jason B. Cohen, MD, New York, further defined the role of fine-needle aspiration in thyroid masses. Four hundred cases were evaluated; 211 of the patients involved underwent fine-needle aspiration. Sixty-four percent of the total group underwent surgery; 83 of these patients had fine-needle aspiration performed. The remaining 128 patients who had undergone fine-needle aspiration did not undergo surgery. The frozen-section results correlated well with those of fine-needle aspiration. It was the author's opinion that 50% of the patients benefited from the technique, including those in whom an unsuspected malignancy was detected (five patients) and those with benign nodules who avoided an unnecessary operation (114 patients). The author concluded that fine-needle aspiration is superfluous if there is a clinical suspicion of malignancy or in masses whose size alone mandates removal because of associated clinical symptoms. For low-grade thyroid malignancies, controversy remains

Role of needle aspiration biopsy in diagnosis of carcinoma of the breast.

Needle aspiration of a breast mass, a procedure widely employed in Scandinavia but neglected in the United States, has an imporant role in the diagnosis of carcinoma of the breat. Five hundred and ninety-seven patients has aspirations from 706 lesions, 415 solid and 291 cystic. There were 83 malignancies, with abnormal cells in 73. In the majority the diagnosis could be made readily. There is no known contraindication to the procedure. Aspiration at the initial visit may alert the physician to malignancy, thus avoiding undue delay in treatment.