Thyroid Biopsy With Ultrasound

When performing fine needle aspiration (FNA) of the thyroid under ultrasound guidance, it is difficult for the physician to know if the specimens are adequate to diagnose the characteristics of a nodule without guidance from a pathologist.  Specimens must be fixed immediately, and correctly for the diagnosis to be made.  I found an article addressing ways to limit the number of failed biopsy's, thus limiting the need to call a patient to come back in for a repeat procedure.

Requests for ultrasound-guided biopsies for the diagnosis of thyroid nodules have increased rapidly in recent years, putting a strain on radiology departments everywhere," said Wui K. Chong, MD, lead author of the study. Unfortunately, there are a number of inadequate biopsies (where the pathologist deems there is an insufficient amount of information to make a diagnosis) that ultimately must be repeated.

http://www.physorg.com/news192269487.html