Ultrasound-guided Core-needle Biopsy in the Diagnosis of Thyroid Foci

  Objective  To evaluate the efficacy of ultrasound-guided core-needle biopsy (CNB) in diagnosis of thyroid foci.

  Methods  The ultrasound-guided CNB was performed on 117 thyroid foci in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from November 2004 to June 2011. The diagnostic data of 117 thyroid foci were retrospectively analyzed.

  Results  All patients completed CNB successfully and the satisfaction rate for tissue samples was 98.3%. The CNB pathologic results of 117 patients were as follows:85 cases were benign, 28 cases were malignant, 2 case were suspected malignant, and 2 cases were inadequate for diagnosis; 37 cases had diffuse lesions and 80 cases had nodules. In 29 patients (including 24 cases of malignancy and 5 cases of benign disease) who had undergone surgery, the CNB pathologic results in 5 cases were false negative compared with the pathologic results of surgery. The diameters of thyroid nodules were less than 1 cm in 2 cases, 1-2 cm in 21 cases, and more than 2 cm in 57 cases.

  Conclusions  Ultrasound-guided CNB is valuable for the differential diagnosis of thyroid foci. It is a supplement to the routine fine needle aspiration and can be used for the diagnosis of special thyroid foci such as the thyroid lymphoma.