ABSTRACT

Cytological and hispathological findings of thyroid nodules in our study correlate with other studies. Hypoechoic nodules that have microcalsifications and increased peripheral and central perfusion are more likely to be malignant

Histopathology of 104 patients (67.5%) was benign and 50 patients (32.5%) was malignant. TSH levels in the group of benign pathology are significantly lower than the group of malignant ones. Sensitivity, specifity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of FNA were calculated as 90.7%, 72.2%, 62.7%, 93.8%, respectively. Diagnostic accuracy of FNA was 78.5%. Incidence AUS was calculated as 7% and 25% of these lesions were histopathologically malignant. Hypoechogenicity (OR=2.3, p<0.05), microcalcifications (OR=2.5 p<0.05) and increased peripheral and central perfusion (OR=11 p<0.05) were the independent risk factors for malignancy

One hundred and fifty-four patients who underwent thyroidectomy between January 2010 and January 2012 are included in this study. Demographic characteristics, cytological and histopathological results, preoperative TSH levels of all patients and ultrasonographic characteristics of the nodules were evaluated retrospectively

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy and ultrasonography are the methods used to evaluate thyroid nodules and to predict malignancy together with the clinical characteristics of nodules. It is important to know false positive and false negative incidences of FNA especially in the case of follicular neoplasia or indeterminate lesions such as atypia of undetermined significance (AUS) to decide whether surgery is necessary or not. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate ultrasonographic characteristics of histopathologically verified malignant thyroid nodules and histopathologic correlation of cytologically indeterminate lesions with histopathologic diagnosis