This study aimed to verify whether a new fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy should be performed in patients who have already been submitted to the procedure with a cytopathologic diagnosis of benign thyroid nodular disease. Forty-one patients with clinical and biochemical diagnosis of nodular goiter were submitted to two fine needle aspiration biopsies with an interval of at least six months, and compared as to their final results and cytopathologic characteristics. Apart the aspiration biopsies the following characteristics were observed (mean±SD): age= 44.3±13.1y; time from initial detection= 5.1±8.1y (median= 2.0 y); nodule volume= 18.6±21.6ml (median= 33.5ml); thyroid volume= 42.8±30.8ml (median= 33.5ml), both based on echography; 24h 131I thyroid uptake= 13.2±5.4%; triiodothyronine (T3)= 142.0±34.5ng/dl; thyroxine (T4)= 8.6±1.5µg/dl; thyrotropin (TSH)= 1.7±1.0mUI/L; thyroglobulin (TG)= 59.3±47.8ng/ml. The study showed the predominance of female (40/41), mixed (23/41) and cold nodules (29/41), with a multinodular pattern (23/41). On cytopathologic evaluation, the second result was identical to the initial one in 40 out of 41 patients (97.6%), in spite of distinct biopsy characteristics in 39 of the 41 patients studied (95.1%), pointing to the heterogeneity of the colloid nodule. We conclude that FNA is a safe procedure for the diagnosis of benign thyroid nodular disease. Differences in the cytopathologic details of the sequential biopsies reveal the large heterogeneous spectrum of the colloid nodule.
Fine needle aspiration; Nodule; Thyroid; Sequential biopsies; Cytopathology
