title: Significance of nondiagnostic fine-needle aspiration of the thyroid.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) has been shown to be rapid and cost effective in the evaluation of thyroid nodules. The significance of nondiagnostic (unsatisfactory) FNAB is uncertain, however.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed 345 consecutive thyroid FNABs and identified 59 patients with initially unsatisfactory specimens. These patients had follow-up to determine whether their thyroid nodules proved to be malignant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three patients (5.1%) were found to have organ-confined papillary carcinoma of the thyroid, the largest tumor mass measuring 1.2 cm. Six patients (10.2%) had benign adenomas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In most cases of initially nondiagnostic FNAB of a thyroid nodule, neoplasia is not found subsequently. A minority of cases may still harbor malignancy. None of our patients in whom repeated FNA was either nondiagnostic or suggestive of benign disease were ultimately found to have a malignancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Scott & White Clinic and Memorial Hospital, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Temple 76508, USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Riggs
authors.forename: V O
authors.initials: VO
authors.lastname: Speights
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000473:pathology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000473:pathology; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000473:pathology*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000473:pathology*