Fine needle aspiration cytology of the thyroid in children and adolescents: experience with 792 aspirates.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the distribution of thyroid lesions in pediatric and adolescent patients in Kuwait.


METHODS
During a 16-year period (January 1993-December 2008) the cytology reports of 792 thyroid aspirates (724 females and 68 males) performed on children and adolescents (ranging from 4 to 21 years) at Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital were reviewed. Of these 62, 150, 201 and 379 aspirates belonged to the age group 4-- <12, 12-- <16, 16-- <19 and 19-21 years, respectively. There were 745 satisfactory aspirates (678 [91%] females and 67 [9%] males). The unsatisfactory rate was 5.9%, with 51.1% of the unsatisfactory aspirates in the 19-21 age group.


RESULTS
Benign cytology was reported in 578 cases (77.6%), with 522 (70.1%) aspirates from females and 56 (7.5%) from males. Chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis was observed in 121 cases (16.2%), and 7 of these were males. Papillary carcinoma was detected in 20 (2.7%), and 4 of these were males. Suspicious cytology was reported only in females and comprised 7 cases (0.9%) with a suspicion of papillary carcinoma and 19 cases (2.6%) with a follicular lesion.


CONCLUSIONS
Fine needle aspiration cytology of children's and adolescents' thyroid nodules is feasible and reliable. The majority of the nodules in this age group are benign, and fine needle aspiration cytology helps prevent unnecessary surgery.
Kapila
Kusum
K
Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University. kkapila@yahoo.com
Pathan
Shahed K
SK
George
Sara Shirly
SS
Haji
Bahiyah E
BE
Das
Dilip K
DK
Qadan
Laila Rafiq
LR
D018263:Adenocarcinoma, Follicular / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D000231:Adenocarcinoma, Papillary / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D000293:Adolescent; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D050031:Hashimoto Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007730:Kuwait / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000473:pathology*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult