Diagnosis Of Thyroid Enlargement: Use Of Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology

One hundred and ten Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsies (FNAC) obtained from 87 patients with thyroid enlargement or nodules were retrospectively reviewed. Aspiration biopsy was accomplished using 21-gauge needle attached with 20-ml plastic syringe. There were 14 males and 73 females involved in the study. Sixty- four (73.6%) cases were nonneoplastic while neoplastic lesions accounted for 19 (21.8%), cases. Three (3.4%) smears were unsatisfactory. Colloid goitre, 57 (65.5%) cases, dominated the diagnosis and was followed by follicular carcinoma with 9 (10.3%) cases. The cytological diagnosis could be verified by histology in 68 cases. We had one false-positive and two false-negative reports giving a diagnostic accuracy of 95.6%. One case was complicated by mild haemorrhage. We recommend fine needle aspiration cytology of the thyroid gland as the initial diagnostic investigation in the evaluation of thyroid gland enlargement. Keywords: Aspiration cytology, thyroid, enlargement, nodules.