Muhammad Hussain Waseer, Muhammad Akram Malik, Riaz Hussain.
Solitary thyroid nodule: Role of FNAC.
Professional Med J Jan ;8(2):251-6.

Solitary thyroid nodule (STN) has a higher incidence of malignancy. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in recent years has proved to be key diagnostic procedure and it has drastically changed the clinician`s approach to STN. OBJECTIVE: The aims and objectives are as follow; 1) To find out sensitivity and reliability of FNAC. 2) To find acceptability of FNAC to the patients. DESIGN: Case study. SETTING: Surgical unit IV of Allied and DHQ Hospital Faisalabad. PERIOD: 13-01-1997 to 11-01-1999. PATIENTS & METHODS: Fifty patients were available for FNAC and subsequent surgery. All patients were operated in Euthyroid state. They were followed up for six months after surgery, RESULTS: Females were common sufferers (78%). Mean age of patients was 44 years. Painless swelling in front of neck was the commonest complaint (94%); even cases were malignant on FNAC while malignancy was present in 08 cases on Histology. The commonest malignancy was papillary cell carcinoma. Only two patients had minor complications of thyroiditis and hematoma after FNAC. CONCLUSION: FNAC of clinically STN is safe, economical and quicker to perform, does not require anesthesia and readily accepted by the patients.

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