Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Sep;130(4):195-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.anorl.2012.12.005. Epub 2013 May 20.

Thyroid nodule surgery: predictive diagnostic value of fine-needle aspiration cytology and frozen section

J-M Prades  1 , C Querat  2 , J-M Dumollard  3 , C Richard  2 , M Gavid  2 , A A Timoshenko  2 , M Peoc'h  3 , C Martin  2
Affiliations
Free article

Thyroid nodule surgery: predictive diagnostic value of fine-needle aspiration cytology and frozen section

J-M Prades et al. Eur Ann Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Dis. 2013 Sep.
Free article

Abstract

Objectives: The authors analyse the predictive diagnostic accuracy of fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and frozen section examination in adult patients operated for thyroid nodules.

Patients and methods: The same pathologist performed macroscopic and cytological examination, followed by frozen section examination on each operative specimen. FNAC results were classified into three groups: benign, malignant or suspicious of malignancy. Frozen section examination was also classified into three categories: benign, malignant or suspicious of malignancy when not all criteria of malignancy were present.

Results: One hundred and sixty-six (82%) of the 202 patients included in the study were females. Patients had a mean age of 51 years. Thyroid carcinoma was diagnosed on final pathology in 22% of women and 25% of men. FNAC results were benign in 85% of cases, malignant in 9% of cases and atypical or suspicious in 6% of cases, with a specificity of more than 99% and a sensitivity, including and excluding microcarcinomas, of 36% and 48%, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of FNAC was 84% and 89%, after excluding micro-carcinomas. Frozen section was benign in 85% of cases, malignant in 13% of cases and suspicious in 2% of cases, with a specificity of more than 99% and a sensitivity, including and excluding microcarcinomas, of 56% and 68%, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of frozen section was 89% and 90%, after excluding microcarcinomas. The diagnostic accuracy of the combination of the two examinations was 94% after excluding microcarcinomas.

Conclusion: FNAC and frozen section have a comparable predictive diagnostic accuracy. Frozen section is requested by the surgeon not only on the basis of preoperative FNAC, especially when it is suspicious, or even indeterminate, but also in the light of the macroscopic surgical findings.

Keywords: Fine-needle aspiration cytology; Frozen section; Thyroid carcinoma; Thyroid gland.

PubMed Disclaimer

LinkOut - more resources