Role of cytological and ultrasonographic features in predicting the risk of malignancy in thyroid nodules with indeterminate cytology.

Abstract The aim of this paper was to examine the diagnostic value of several cytological and ultrasonographic features in predicting malignancy in thyroid follicular neoplasms. The sample of the study consisted of 145 patients, who have had the diagnosis of follicular neoplasm on US guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA), and had undergone thyroidectomy. The cytological slides and the ultrasonographic images were reviewed, and several ultrasonographic and cytological features were evaluated and correlated with final histology. Histological diagnosis of malignancy was obtained in 14.5% of the patients, papillary carcinoma being the most frequent (66% of malignancies). The cytological and ultrasonographic features that have been associated with malignancy were: micro-fragments (P