Correlation of fine needle aspiration cytology with histopathology in patients undergoing thyroid surgery

Abstract

<b>Introduction:</b> Thyroid swellings are one of the most common swellings in the neck. They pose a major problem in developing countries like India, considering the high endemicity for iodine deficiency disorders. Thyroid gland is affected in many conditions. Out of these, majority are benign while less than 5% are malignant. Multiple noninvasive and invasive diagnostic tests are available for the diagnosis of thyroid swelling. However, at present, FNAC is considered the gold standard investigation. Despite the high sensitivity and specificity, FNAC has its limitations. Histopathological examination of surgically excised thyroid swelling is the confirmatory gold standard to determine the pathology of the thyroid gland. <br><b>Material and method:</b> This prospective and observational study was conducted in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology (ENT) in collaboration with the Department of Pathology in a tertiary care hospital and medical school. A total of seventy patients were included. <br><b>Results:</b> The diagnosis on FNAC was correlated with histopathology. Statistical analysis showed FNAC had a sensitivity of 83.3%, specificity of 100%, positive predictive value of 100%, negative predictive value of 96.7%. However, the overall accuracy in this study was determined to be 95.71%. Results were found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05). <br><b>Conclusions:</b> The diagnostic role of FNAC in thyroid lesions is of utmost importance in making preoperative diagnosis. FNAC was found to be highly sensitive and specific for diagnosing thyroid lesions but the final HPE is considered as a gold standard.