title: Fine-needle aspiration cytology of the thyroid gland: comparative analysis of experience at three hospitals.
abstract: Fine-needle cytology is an effective and accurate diagnostic method for the assessment of thyroid lesions. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of thyroid cytology at a tertiary where cytopathologists with experience in thyroid cytology participate in the procedure and compare it with results in two community hospitals lacking pathology departments and on-site cytopathologists. A total of 1,770 specimens were diagnosed between 1998 and 2003. Of these, 425 were from the two local hospitals. The fraction of unsatisfactory specimens was 24% for submitted specimens and 9.5% for those taken in the presence of a cytopathologist. The percentage of malignant specimens was 4.1% at the tertiary center compared with 2.2% of submitted cases. These data highlight the need to centralize thyroid fine needle cytology to specialized centers with experienced cytopathologists.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Division of Cytology, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, N-0310 Oslo, Norway. aasmund.berner@labmed.uio.no
authors.forename: Aasmund
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berner
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sigstad
authors.forename: Manohar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pradhan
authors.forename: Krystyna K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Grøholt
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Davidson
mesh_terms: D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000473:pathology*