Histopathological and cytological efficacy in the diagnosis of solitary thyroid nodules

Abstract

Objectives This study aimed to resolve the clinical dilemma of solitary thyroid nodules by fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and histopathological studies and evaluate the incidence of different lesions manifested as this entity.Methods Fifty patients with a clinical diagnosis of solitary thyroid nodules were recruited. FNAC and histopathological results for all the patients were reviewed, confirmed, and evaluated.Results A solitary thyroid nodule was more common in women (78%) than in men (22%). The patients who were maximally affected (30%) were between 21 and 30 years of age. On the basis of FNAC, out of 50 cases studied, 84% were benign/non-neoplastic, 4% were suspicious, 6% were malignant, and the remaining 6% were nondiagnostic aspirates. The most common benign lesion diagnosed by FNAC was a colloid nodule (56%), whereas the most common malignant lesion was papillary carcinoma (6%). There were no false-negative cases (0%). A false-positive result was found in only one case (2%). According to the histopathological findings, 92% were benign/ non-neoplastic lesions and 8% were malignant. The most common benign/non-neoplastic lesions were colloid goiter (60%) and follicular adenoma (12%), whereas the most common malignant lesion was papillary carcinoma (6%).Conclusion FNAC is a useful diagnostic tool, but it has some limitations in terms of diagnosis. However, histopathological examination overcomes these limitations and helps establish a conclusive diagnosis.