FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATION VERSUS DRILL-NEEDLE BIOPSY OF THYROID-NODULES - A CONTROLLED CLINICAL-TRIAL

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 91  (6) , 611-615
Abstract
Percutaneous needle biopsy by 2 methods was evaluated in a prospective controlled study of 167 consecutive patients with dominant thyroid nodules. Fine-needle aspiration was superior to high-speed drill-needle biopsy because of its higher diagnostic yield (93.9%). When a sample sufficient for diagnosis was obtained, the accuracy rate for both methods was comparable. Diagnostic errors were due to inadequate samples, difficulties in interpreting hypercellular adenomas and geographic sampling problems. In the detection of thyroid cancers, neither technique alone appears completely adequate because of occasional false negative errors. The selection of patients for surgery should depend on clinical parameters as well as the findings on fine-needle aspiration of thyroid nodules.