title: Nondiagnostic thyroid fine needle aspiration cytology: outcome in surgical treatment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fine-Needle Aspiration (FNA) is the main screening process for distinguishing benign from malignant thyroid nodules. Despite this, by 5-29% of patients, their FNA results are not enough to confirm malign neoplasia, particularly in cases with follicular lesions. The objective of this report is to present the definitive histological results of a group of 41 patients with FNA of Thyroid nodule catalogued as "indeterminate/non diagnostic" sent for surgical treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective analysis was done on all of the patients who had underwent surgery for thyroid nodule, with a previous diagnosis of "indeterminate/non diagnostic" by FNA. Forty-one patients, three male (7.31%), and 38 female (92.68%), were included in the present study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifteen women and one man were positive for malignancies (39.02%). The nodule was bigger than 4 cm in 23 patients in total (56.09%), and of this percentage, 6 were malignant (26.09%). According to age, 24 patients were older than 45 years (58.5%), 8 of whom showed malignant pathology (33.3%). All these variables were non significant. Fifteen of 16 patients had a definitive diagnosis of papillary carcinoma and one follicular carcinoma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The majority of patients with a diagnosis of "indeterminated/non diagnostic" had benign lesions (60.9%). The usual predictive factors for malignity such as age, sex, size of nodule, did not present a significant support in the differential diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Endocrinologá, División de Medicina Interna, Hospital de Especialidades No 25, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social. hectorelovtamez@aol.com
authors.forename: Héctor Eloy
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Tamez-Pérez
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez-Hermosillo
authors.forename: Gerardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Forsbach-Sánchez
authors.forename: María Dolores
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Gómez-de Ossio
authors.forename: Gerardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: González-González
authors.forename: Santos
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guzmán-López
authors.forename: Alejandra Lorena
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Tamez-Peña
authors.forename: Nishmy Eloísa
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Mora-Torres
authors.forename: Eduardo Alfredo
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: González-Murillo
mesh_terms: D018263:Adenocarcinoma, Follicular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013965:Thyroidectomy; D019564:Unnecessary Procedures