Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy of the Thyroid

Sometimes before we treat a disease, we need to conduct an examination to confirm the diagnosis. Because the symptoms of many diseases look similar, but clear examination and diagnosis are needed before treatment can be decided. For example, thyroid disease is a common problem. When conducting an inspection, special attention should be paid to the method. What is a thyroid fine needle aspiration biopsy performed?

Thyroid puncture is a procedure used to diagnose nodular thyroid disease.

Overview Fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the thyroid gland has now been established as a highly accurate diagnostic test and is routinely used as the first step in the diagnosis of nodular thyroid disease (1-4). Epidemiological studies have shown that nodular thyroid disease is common in clinical practice, with a prevalence of 4% to 7% among adults in North America and an annual incidence of 0.1%. In other words, approximately 275,000 new nodules appear in the United States each year (5). A recent survey of clinical members of the American Thyroid Association showed that the vast majority (96%) of them use fine-needle aspiration cytology to diagnose thyroid nodules.

definition

Martin and Ellis first reported the diagnosis of thyroid nodules by fine needle aspiration cytology in 1930, when they used an 18-gauge needle. Subsequently, there were reports of histological examination of needle biopsy using Silverman or Tru-Cut needles. However, these techniques have not been widely accepted due to concerns about the spread of malignant tumors along the needle puncture tract, false-negative results, and serious complications. However, fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the thyroid gland was introduced by researchers in Northern Europe in the 1960s and became widely accepted in North America, but it was not widely used until the 1980s (8,9).