Applying Ultrasound-Guided Core Needle Biopsy for Diagnosis of Thyroid Masses: Preliminary Results From a Single Institution.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of conclusive results obtained with ultrasound (US)-guided core needle biopsy (CNB) and how this method should be applied for diagnosis of thyroid nodules.


METHODS
From January 2013 to November 2014, US-guided CNB was performed in 84 thyroid lesions of 83 patients. Based on CNB pathologic reports, thyroid nodules were divided into 2 categories: conclusive (nodules reaching a definite pathologic diagnosis suggesting benignity or malignancy) and inconclusive (nodules that were not able to reach a definite diagnosis because of ambiguous results). Medical records and US examinations were reviewed and compared.


RESULTS
The mean age of the 83 patients ± SD was 49.7 ± 14.1 years. Of the 84 thyroid nodules, 73 (86.9%) were diagnosed as benign or malignant and 11 (13.1%) as inconclusive by CNB pathologic analysis. Among the 11 nodules with inconclusive results, the possibility of a follicular neoplasm was suggested in 8 nodules (72.7%). No significant difference was seen in tumor size and US features when comparing the nodules with conclusive and inconclusive results (all P >.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Ultrasound-guided CNB may have supplemental roles in addition to US-guided fine-needle aspiration for diagnosis of selected cases. A considerable proportion of inconclusive results are seen on US-guided CNB, especially for diagnosis of follicular lesions, which must be considered when using this method for diagnosis of thyroid nodules.
Department of Radiology, Severance Hospital, Research Institute of Radiological Science, Yonsei University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea (Y.H.K., E.-K.K., J.Y.K., H.J.M., J.H.Y.); and Department of Pathology, Yonsei University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea (H.J.K.).
Yong Hee
YH
Kim
Department of Radiology, Severance Hospital, Research Institute of Radiological Science, Yonsei University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea (Y.H.K., E.-K.K., J.Y.K., H.J.M., J.H.Y.); and Department of Pathology, Yonsei University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea (H.J.K.).
Hyeong Ju
HJ
Kwon
Department of Radiology, Severance Hospital, Research Institute of Radiological Science, Yonsei University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea (Y.H.K., E.-K.K., J.Y.K., H.J.M., J.H.Y.); and Department of Pathology, Yonsei University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea (H.J.K.).
Eun-Kyung
EK
Kim
Department of Radiology, Severance Hospital, Research Institute of Radiological Science, Yonsei University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea (Y.H.K., E.-K.K., J.Y.K., H.J.M., J.H.Y.); and Department of Pathology, Yonsei University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea (H.J.K.).
Jin Young
JY
Kwak
Department of Radiology, Severance Hospital, Research Institute of Radiological Science, Yonsei University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea (Y.H.K., E.-K.K., J.Y.K., H.J.M., J.H.Y.); and Department of Pathology, Yonsei University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea (H.J.K.).
Hee Jung
HJ
Moon
Department of Radiology, Severance Hospital, Research Institute of Radiological Science, Yonsei University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea (Y.H.K., E.-K.K., J.Y.K., H.J.M., J.H.Y.); and Department of Pathology, Yonsei University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea (H.J.K.). lvjenny@yuhs.ac.
Jung Hyun
JH
Yoon
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D061765:Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
core needle biopsy; head and neck ultrasound; thyroid; ultrasound