Vol. 1, Issue 1, Part A (2017)

Background and Objective: Although only a small fraction of thyroid nodules turn out to be cancerous, they are nonetheless a common clinical finding. In order to administer the right treatment, a prompt and precise diagnosis is required. One less intrusive, less expensive, and more straightforward diagnostic option is fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). In order to determine how well FNAC can diagnose thyroid nodules, this study will compare cytological results with histological outcomes whenever possible.

Material and Methods: The 60 patients who presented with thyroid nodules between March 2016 and February 2017 at the Department of ENT, Maharajah’s Institute of Medical Sciences, Nellimarla, Andhra Pradesh, India were the subjects of this prospective observational study. Aseptic procedures were followed by a thorough clinical examination and FNAC for all patients. Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology was used for the classification of cytological data. In surgical situations, histopathological examination was carried out. Results for FNAC's diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were quantified by statistical analysis.

Results: Out of 60 patients, FNAC found 14 cases of malignancy (13.3%), 10 cases of suspicious or indeterminate (16.7%), and 42 cases of benign (70%). One hundred and sixteen instances that underwent surgery had histopathological connection. Total diagnostic accuracy was 92.3%, with FNAC demonstrating a sensitivity of 88.9%, specificity of 94.1%, PPV of 88.9%, and NPV of 94.1%. Fortunately, the operation was successful and no serious problems occurred.

Conclusion: FNAC is an excellent first-line diagnostic tool for assessing thyroid nodules since it is safe, dependable, and produces very accurate results. The ability to differentiate between benign and malignant lesions is crucial for directing proper clinical therapy and minimizing needless procedures.