title: Worrisome histologic alterations following fine-needle aspiration of the parathyroid.
abstract: Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is a procedure that is increasingly being performed. Artefacts occurring after FNA are reported to complicate the histological analysis of the tissue, mainly in the thyroid; WHAFFT (worrisome histologic alterations following FNA of thyroid) is well documented in the literature. The case of a male patient with hypercalcaemia who was subsequently found to have a nodule in the thyroid gland is reported here. He underwent FNA, followed by a total thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy. The abnormality in the parathyroid gland showed worrisome histological changes that were suspicious of a malignant lesion, resembling the changes seen in the thyroid gland after FNA. Parathyroid cells were identified by a review of the previous FNA. The concept of WHAFFT, which can mimic the features of malignancy in the parathyroid gland, is therefore introduced.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, University Health Network and Toronto Medical Laboratories, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alwaheeb
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rambaldini
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boerner
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Coiré
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fiser
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Asa
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000473:pathology; D016477:Artifacts; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010280:Parathyroid Glands / Q000473:pathology*; D010282:Parathyroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D016105:Parathyroidectomy; D013965:Thyroidectomy