Abstract

Background: Fine-needle aspiration cytology(FNAC) is an important test for evaluation of patients with thyroid nodules. We report a retrospective analysis of our 5 years’ FNAC records based on Bethesda System.
Materials and Methods: In this study, 504 cases of thyroid fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), between the January 2007- October 2012 in Ondokuz Mayis University Medical Faculty Department of General Surgery, have been classified following the Bethesda System for reporting thyroid cytopathology .
Results: FNAC results have been reported nondiagnostic or unsatisfactory (ND/US) at 117 cases (23.21%) and benign at 176 cases (34.92 %). Atypia of undetermined significance or follicular lesion of undetermined significance (AUS/FLUS), follicular neoplasm or suspicious for a follicular neoplas (FN/SFN), suspicious for malignancy (SM) and malignant were found at 21 (4.17 %), 23 (4.56 %), 136 (26.98 %) and 31 (6.15 %) cases respectively. False negative and false positive results were found as 21.59% and 12.91 % respectively. Also, in the cases of suspicious for malignancy by FNAC, malignancy were found as 36.76 %.
Conclusion: FNAC and The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (BSRTC) is a helpfull investigative method in preoperative diagnosis of thyroid malignancies. On the other hand, evaluation with combination physical examination,ultrasound findings and FNAC results is the most proper treatment method of thyroid malignancies.