title: Ultrasound-guided biopsy of the thyroid: a comparison of technique with respect to diagnostic accuracy.
abstract: Ultrasound-guided sampling of the thyroid represents a standard diagnostic procedure in the evaluation of thyroid nodules. The two techniques typically used are fine-needle aspiration and fine-needle capillary biopsy. Each has been used with success in various body sites. Recently, a comparison of these two techniques showed no significant difference with regard to specimen adequacy. In this study, the type of technique was correlated with diagnostic accuracy. For each technique, the preoperative cytology diagnosis was compared with the surgical pathology diagnosis in 46 resected thyroid nodules. No false-positive diagnoses were identified. No significant difference in diagnostic accuracy was found on comparison of the two techniques. Therefore, either technique may be used according to the operator's preference.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA. schoedelke@upmc.edu
authors.forename: Karen E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Schoedel
authors.forename: Mitchell E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Tublin
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pealer
authors.forename: N Paul
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Ohori
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001706:Biopsy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D014463:Ultrasonography