title: Fine needle aspirates of follicular lesions of the thyroid gland. The intermediate-type smear.
abstract: In order to evaluate fine needle aspirates of thyroid lesions with features intermediate between those of follicular neoplasms and colloid nodules, 38 aspirates in which a definitive diagnosis had not been made were reviewed. On review, ten aspirates were excluded from the "intermediate" category; seven were reclassified as unsatisfactory and one as a cellular colloid nodule. Two papillary carcinomas showed a complex pattern not identified in smears from other lesions; these aspirates were also classified separately for independent evaluation. The remaining 28 aspirates were characterized by syncytial-type tissue fragments with mild nuclear atypia. The association of syncytial-type tissue fragments and orderly sheets and fragments forming a honeycomb pattern in the same aspirate indicated a colloid nodule, though a two-disease process could not be excluded. Of the aspirates containing only syncytial-type tissue fragments, 50% were from adenomas, 25% were from carcinomas, and 25% were from colloid nodules. Criteria to distinguish between the various follicular lesions were not identified in these smears.
authors: Department of Pathology, University of Manitoba Health Sciences Center, Winnipeg, Canada.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Ravinsky
authors: J R
authors: JR
authors: Safneck
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000379:methods; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D002466:Cell Nucleolus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002843:Chromatin / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages / Q000473:pathology; D008938:Mitosis; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000473:pathology*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin