EFFECT OF FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATION BIOPSY ON THE HISTOLOGY OF THYROID NEOPLASMS

We evaluated the effect of fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) upon t he histology of thyroid adenoma and differentiated thyroid carcinoma. When surgery was performed within three months of FNAB, infarction was found histologically in 8/82 (9.8%) of the tumors. It was extensive i n four patients, with one patient having no residual neoplastic cells identifiable within the nodule. No infarction was seen in the histolog ic specimens from patients with similar pathology whose surgery was pe rformed without prior FNAB. These findings confirm previous reports th at infarction may be caused by FNAB and can be so extensive as to inte rfere with the histologic diagnosis.