TY - JOUR
T1 - Practice, efficacy, and costs of thyroid nodule evaluation: a retrospective study in a Dutch university hospital.
AU - Hooft, L.
AU - Hoekstra, O.S.
AU - Boers, M.
AU - van Tulder, M.
AU - Van Diest, P
AU - Lips, P.T.A.M.
PY - 2004
Y1 - 2004
N2 - Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of thyroid nodules has markedly reduced the role of thyroid scintigraphy. This is often limited to nondiagnostic or follicular (tumor) FNA classifications. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy and cost of such a strategy in a university center. From 1992-1998, 995 aspirations were done in 667 patients with palpable nodules. FNA was classified as malignant, suspicious, follicular, benign or inadequate. The Gold standard was surgery or extended follow-up, including physical examination, FNA, and/or ultrasound (US) with a time interval of half a year. Cost analysis was limited to operated patients. The first FNA yielded inadequate results in 28%, decreasing to 6% after 4 aspirations (n = 42). The other final classifications were: 76%, benign; 14%, follicular; 2%, suspicious; 1%, malignant (n = 7). Scintigraphy (
AB - Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of thyroid nodules has markedly reduced the role of thyroid scintigraphy. This is often limited to nondiagnostic or follicular (tumor) FNA classifications. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy and cost of such a strategy in a university center. From 1992-1998, 995 aspirations were done in 667 patients with palpable nodules. FNA was classified as malignant, suspicious, follicular, benign or inadequate. The Gold standard was surgery or extended follow-up, including physical examination, FNA, and/or ultrasound (US) with a time interval of half a year. Cost analysis was limited to operated patients. The first FNA yielded inadequate results in 28%, decreasing to 6% after 4 aspirations (n = 42). The other final classifications were: 76%, benign; 14%, follicular; 2%, suspicious; 1%, malignant (n = 7). Scintigraphy (
U2 - 10.1089/105072504323030942
DO - 10.1089/105072504323030942
M3 - Article
SN - 1050-7256
VL - 14
SP - 287
EP - 293
JO - Thyroid
JF - Thyroid
IS - 4
ER -
