Reparative change with extensive squamous metaplasia: a potential diagnostic pitfall on thyroid aspiration.

Squamous metaplasia and cystic change can appear in the thyroid and mimic a variety of lesions. In this report, a patient with two dominant left thyroid nodules underwent fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy for each nodule. One of the nodules was diagnosed as consistent with papillary carcinoma and the other as suspicious for papillary carcinoma.

Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration in the management of thyroid nodules in children and adolescents.

Background: The reported incidence of thyroid nodules in children and adolescents is estimated to be between 1% and 2%. However, this incidence may be increasing because diagnostic radiological procedures are detecting incidental thyroid nodules in children. The objective of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (US-FNA) of thyroid nodules in children and adolescents.

Comparison of palpation-guided versus ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsies of thyroid nodules in an outpatient endocrinology practice.

Objective: To investigate the role of thyroid ultrasonography in our outpatient endocrine practice.

Methods: We compared the efficacy of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (US-FNAB) of thyroid nodules with that of palpation-guided aspiration (P-FNAB) and determined the malignancy rates of palpable and nonpalpable nodules. All patients referred for assessment of thyroid nodular disease from October 1997 through August 2001 were included in the study.

Resident perceptions of the impact of work-hour restrictions on health care delivery and surgical education: time for transformational change.

Background: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education has recently enacted an 80-hour workweek, which has been in effect in New York State for several years. We surveyed surgical residents from all four State University of New York (SUNY) surgical programs to determine their perceptions of the impact of the 80-hour workweek on patient care, surgical education, and personal life.

Methods: A survey instrument to address the three areas of concern was developed and administered to all surgical residents at the four SUNY programs.

Intraoperative needle localization during neck reexploration.

Background: Recurrent cervical adenopathy can be difficult to identify intraoperatively during a neck reexploration. Although local preoperative imaging techniques are available, these are not useful in the operative theater.

Methods: We introduce an intraoperative technique of ultrasound-guided needle localization to identify and guide the resection of suspicious cervical lymphadenopathy.