Author/Authors :
Aziz Ahari, Alireza Department of Radiology - Hazrat Rasoul Akram Hospital - Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran , Mohammadi Vajari, Mohammad Ali Department of Radiology - Hazrat Rasoul Akram Hospital - Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran , Khatibi Moghadam, Navid Department of Radiology - Hazrat Rasoul Akram Hospital - Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran , Hashemi, Hassan Advanced Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology Research Center (ADIR) - Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran , Parvin, Mahmoud Department of Pathology - Shaheed Labbafinejad Hospital - Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran , Khaleghi, Mohammadreza Department of Radiology - Hazrat Rasoul Akram Hospital - Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Abstract :
Background: Thyroid fine needle aspiration (FNA) is currently the most acceptable method for evaluating thyroid nodules. Nonsatisfactory sample is the main limitation of FNA. It has been shown that spinal needles can reduce the number of non-diagnostic
samples.
Objectives: In this study, we decided to compare the results obtained using spinal (stylet) needle and simple needle in thyroid
nodule FNA according to the agreement between them and with the pathology results as the gold standard.
Patients and Methods: Sampling of thyroid nodules of 156 patients was performed by a simple non-stylet 23 gauge needle (A) and
a spinal 22 gauge needle with stylet (B). The samples were provided to the pathologist for blind examination. All samples were obtained by an expert radiologist and the pathology examination was also performed by a pathologist expert in thyroid gland diseases.
Blind analysis was done using SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 16 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Ill., USA).
Results: The results of FNA with needles A and B were reported unsatisfactory in 11.51 (18 subjects) and 3.84 (six subjects), respectively
(P = 0.01). The result in 63.46% (99 subjects) of the participants, in whom FNA was obtained by needle B was introduced as a better
sample by the pathologist in comparison with 36.44% (57 subjects) (P < 0.001). Cancer was diagnosed in 9.56 and 7.66 of the samples
yielded by needles B and A, respectively, which was not statistically significant (P = 0.54). There was also a significant relationship
between thyroid imaging reporting and data system (TI-RADS) score and FNA result.
Conclusion: A significant relationship between the adequate sampling results, the qualitative examination result, TI-RADS score
and the needle type indicates the importance of needle type on the results of thyroid FNA. Using spinal (stylet) needles may reduce
the number of non-diagnostic samples in fine needle aspiration of thyroid nodules and therefore, can have a better effect on the
results of this method.
