title: Diagnostic accuracy of fine-needle aspiration versus core-needle biopsy for the diagnosis of thyroid malignancy in a clinical cohort.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To retrospectively compare the accuracy of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) and core-needle biopsy (CNB) for the diagnosis of thyroid malignancy
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated the results of FNA and CNB in 555 consecutive thyroid nodules with final diagnoses (malignancy 318, benign 237). All patients underwent FNA and CNB simultaneously for each nodule. We assessed the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of FNA, CNB and FNA/CNB for the diagnosis of thyroid malignancy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sensitivity of FNA, CNB and FNA/CNB for thyroid malignancy was 68.6%, 86.8% and 90.6%, specificity 100%, 99.2% and 99.2%, and accuracy 82.0%, 92.1% and 94.2%, respectively. The sensitivity and accuracy of CNB or FNA/CNB for thyroid malignancy were significantly higher than those of FNA (P < 0.001). Compared with CNB alone, FNA/CNB was more accurate for thyroid malignancy only in small nodules less than 1 cm (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our clinical cohort data demonstrated that CNB was more accurate for the diagnosis of thyroid malignancy than FNA, and FNA/CNB was more accurate than CNB alone in small thyroid nodules. CNB will play a complementary role in optimal surgical decision-making and the management of thyroid nodules.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  • CNB was more accurate for the diagnosis of malignancy than FNA.                         • Combined FNA/CNB was more accurate than CNB alone in small thyroid nodules.                         • CNB should play at least a complementary role in managing thyroid nodules.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Thyroid Center, Daerim St. Mary's Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jin Yong
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: Dong Gyu
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Na
authors.forename: Kyu Sun
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyunju
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: Hunkyung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ji-Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jung Hwan
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Baek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*