CRITERIA FOR CYTOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS OF THYROID LESIONS

Palpable thyroid nodules are more common in women, and male/female ratio ranged from 1.2 to 4.3.[1,3] Thyroid nodules may cause hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, cosmetic issues, and problems in other organs such as compression, and they also have the potential for malignancy.[4] Therefore, the accurate evaluation of thyroid nodules is crucial. In recent years, the role of fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is increasing regarding the management methods as well as its role in detection of malignancy potentials of thyroid nodules. No single diagnostic methods used for the definitive diagnosis of thyroid cancers, such as radiographs, US, scintigraphy and suppression therapy, is effective enough to make a benign/malignant differentiation alone. FNAC has been used since the 1950s, and is one of the effective methods in the diagnosis of thy-roid nodules.[5].In this article, a retrospective study of FNAC of thyroid lesions over a period of three years is analysed with review of literature.