title: Evaluation of fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology in the diagnosis of thyroid nodules.
abstract: FNA cytology of 112 patients with thyroid nodules seen in a 5-year period in a general hospital setting, and the histology obtained from the 53 operated patients, were retrospectively analysed. The inadequacy rate of FNA cytology was 11%, sensitivity was 84% (16/19), specificity was 52% (15/29), positive predictive value was 53% (16/30) and negative predictive value was 83% (15/18). Extrapolating these figures to the whole study group a negative predictive value of 95% is put forward as a more realistic figure. The results and the clinical pitfalls of the use of FNA cytology in diagnosing thyroid nodules are discussed. The authors conclude that FNA cytology is a reliable first diagnostic step in the diagnosis of thyroid nodules, even in a general hospital setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Diakonessenhuis Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Holleman
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Hoekstra
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Ruitenberg
mesh_terms: D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology