Search

Thyroid nodule comprise a group of diverse pathological entities requiring different diagnostic and therapeutic management. The aim of this study was to compare the results of intraoperative biopsy (BIO) examination with the one obtained by puncture with fine needle aspiration (FNAB) in the surgical management of thyroid nodules. This is a prospective, evaluative-descriptive, non-experimental investigation conducted in the Department of Surgery of the University Hospital Dr. Ángel Larralde, between dates May 2005-May 2007. We calculated the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and diagnostic accuracy for FNAB and BIO and correlated the findings with the final biopsy. FNAB showed a specificity of 95.23% with a sensitivity of 33.33%; intraoperative biopsy (BIO) showed a specificity of nearly 100% with a sensitivity similar to FNAB (33.33%). Diagnostic accuracy of FNAB was 76% and the one obtained by BIO 48%. The results indicates the high percentage of inconclusive studies produced by BIO, corresponding to 36%, (N= 9). The false negatives results (8%) were represented by two follicular adenomas histologicaly diagnosed by the final biopsy as papillary carcinoma, follicular carcinoma and follicular variant respectively; all of them requiring surgical reintervention. A survey was applied to fourteen senior medical doctors of the Department with experience on BIO and found that it has limited value when deciding the extent of thyroidectomy. Developed a protocol for managing solitary thyroid nodule from the results. The results of the BIO were not statistically significant according to the program MedCalc. Intraoperative biopsy in this study proved to be no better than FNAB in the surgical management of thyroid nodule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]