title: [Usefulness of the determination of thyroglobulin in lymph node aspirates of patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma and positive antithyroglobulin antibodies].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We wanted to study the utility of thyroglobulin determination in the washout of fine needle aspiration (FNAB-Tg) of lymph metastatic nodes in patients with papillar thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and positive serum thyroglobulin antibodies (AbTg).
  
  
  METHODS
  We have studied 11 patients (49.9+/-11.8 years old, 70% females) with PTC and positive AbTg in which a whole-body scanning (WBS) after (131)I treatment showed pathological uptake in lymph cervical nodes. An ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (US-FNAB) was performed for cytological research. Needle-washout with 1 ml ClNa 0.9% was employed to determine FNAB-Tg.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 16/17 suspicious nodes Tg-FNAB concentration was higher than 7 ng/dl (223.3+/-314.2 [7-1009]). AbTg were negative in the washout obtained. WBS was able to detect 94% lymphadenopathies, whereas 76.5% were detected with ultrasound and 70.6% using cytology. The FNAB-Tg was positive in 94% of nodules, which was higher than combining US and FNAB-cytology both together (88.2%). One hundred per cent of pathological nodules were detected using US plus FNAB-Tg.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  FNAB-Tg determination is an useful technique for diagnosis of metastatic lymph nodes of patients with PTC and is unaffected by the presence of serum AbTg.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Endocrinología, Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena, Sevilla, España.
authors.forename: Tomás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Martín Hernández
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Torres Cuadro
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yañez Fernández
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gentil Baldrich
authors.forename: Milagrosa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Díaz Gálvez
authors.forename: Félix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: López Elorza
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sendón Pérez
mesh_terms: D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D013954:Thyroglobulin