The Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasound Guided Fine-Needle Aspiration Biopsy and Intraoperative Frozen Section Examination  in Nodular Thyroid Disease

James Young; Cherrie Gail Lumapas-Gonzalez; Roberto Mirasol

doi:10.15605/jafes.026.01.09

Authors

James Young Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Luke’s Medical Center, Philippines
Cherrie Gail Lumapas-Gonzalez Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Luke’s Medical Center, Philippines
Roberto Mirasol Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Luke’s Medical Center and Section of Endocrinology, Manila Doctors’ Hospital

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15605/jafes.026.01.09

Keywords:

fine-needle aspiration biopsy, frozen section, diagnostic accuracy, thyroid nodules, thyroid neoplasm

Abstract

Objectives. To determine the diagnostic accuracy of combined ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy (USG-FNAB) and intraoperative frozen section examinationin (FSE) in diagnosing malignant thyroid nodules.

Methodology. Retrospective review of patients undergoing thyroidectomy with intraoperative frozen section examination following ultrasound guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and accuracy were calculated with respect to final histology.

Results. A total of 2,239 nodules were subjected to USG-FNAB at the Diabetes, Thyroid and Endocrine Center, St. Luke’s Medical Center between January 2007 and December 2009. Two hundred fifty-one nodules were surgically excised following USG-FNAB. Frozen section examinations were taken from 90 of 251 nodules. The USG-FNAB yielded 90.3% (n=1,721) adequate specimens and 9.7% (n=185) inadequate specimens. The histologic examination of the 251 surgically excised nodules revealed 182 (73%) benign and 69 (27%) malignant nodules. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and accuracy rate of USG-FNAB cytology are 70.3%, 92.8%, 76.5%, 90.4% and 87.2%, respectively. The diagnosis by frozen section was benign in 56 cases (62%), malignant in 10 cases (11%) and deferred in 24 cases (27%). By FSE, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and accuracy rate are 83.3%, 100%, 100%, 96.4% and 96.7%, respectively. A diagnostic accuracy of up to 97.2% was achieved when USG-FNAB and FSE were combined and when their findings were concordant. When USG-FNAB and FSE diagnoses were discordant, the FSE showed superior accuracy (83.3%) than cytology (16.7%). In the group of nodules with indeterminate or inadequate cytology, the diagnostic accuracy of frozen section is 100%.

Conclusion. Ultrasound guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy is an accurate preoperative test for the evaluation of nodular thyroid disease. It helps to distinguish malignant from benign lesions. The intraoperative frozen section is a valuable test for confirming the cytologic diagnosis. It is especially important in identifying malignant thyroid nodule in cases with indeterminate cytology. The combination of USG-FNAB and FSE greatly improves the accuracy rate in thyroid cancer detection.

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