Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration in the management of thyroid nodules in children and adolescents.
BACKGROUND
The reported incidence of thyroid nodules in children and adolescents is estimated to be between 1% and 2%. However, this incidence may be increasing because diagnostic radiological procedures are detecting incidental thyroid nodules in children. The objective of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (US-FNA) of thyroid nodules in children and adolescents.


METHODS
Forty-two children (mean age, 14.75 years) underwent US-FNA of 52 thyroid nodules. The specificity, sensitivity, diagnostic accuracy, and unsatisfactory rates were compared to other similar studies.


RESULTS
Six patients had a cytological diagnosis of papillary thyroid cancer, which was confirmed at surgery. There were no false-negative specimens, and cytological diagnostic accuracy was 93.7%. The inadequate rate was only 1.9%.


CONCLUSIONS
US-FNA of thyroid nodules in children and adolescents is highly accurate in experienced hands and is associated with a very low inadequate rate.
Izquierdo
Roberto
R
Department of Medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13214, USA. izquierr@upstate.edu
Shankar
Roopa
R
Kort
Kara
K
Khurana
Kamal
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle / Q000379:methods*; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D014465:Ultrasonics; D014463:Ultrasonography