Training, credentialing and re-credentialing for the performance of a thyroid FNA: a synopsis of the National Cancer Institute Thyroid Fine-Needle Aspiration State of the Science Conference.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) sponsored the NCI Thyroid Fine-Needle Aspiration (FNA) State of the Science Conference on October 22-23, 2007 in Bethesda, MD. The 2-day meeting was accompanied by a permanent informational website and several on-line discussion periods between May 1 and December 15, 2007 (http://thyroidfna.cancer.

Value of repeated fine needle aspirations of the thyroid: an analysis of over ten thousand FNAs.

Objective: Fine needle aspiration (FNA) has been accepted as the diagnostic method of choice in the initial evaluation of thyroid nodules. However, the value of repeated FNAs in the long-term follow-up of lesions initially diagnosed as benign is being questioned. Do the findings on initial FNA really spare patients thyroidectomy or do they only postpone it? The purpose of the present study is our attempt to answer this question.

Fine-needle aspiration of the thyroid: technique and terminology.

Fine-needle aspiration of the thyroid is a relatively low-cost procedure that can provide an accurate diagnosis rapidly. Success of fine-needle aspiration requires an adequate sample, obtained by mastering the technique. The literature emphasizes the importance of having an experienced cytopathologist interpreting the smears.

Cytopathology reports from fine needle aspirations of the thyroid gland: can they be improved?

Many endocrinologists are dissatisfied with the cytopathology reports from thyroidal aspirates and unsure of how to proceed with the management of their patients. Endocrinologists and cytopathologists should have a symbiotic or complementary professional relationship if patients are going to be well served. The endocrinologist has responsibilities to the pathologist and vice versa.

Cytologic features of insular carcinoma of the thyroid: a case report.

Fine-needle aspiration of the thyroid has been accepted as one of the initial diagnostic tools in the evaluation of thyroid nodules. As its use becomes more widespread, the demand for more precise diagnosis has increased. The histopathology of insular carcinoma of the thyroid is now well recognized.

Black thyroid revisited: cytologic diagnosis in fine-needle aspirates is unlikely.

We report four patients diagnosed with black discoloration of the thyroid gland at surgery and a fifth patient in which the "black thyroid" was an incidental finding at autopsy. The four patients diagnosed at surgery had prior fine-needle aspirations (FNA), which did not reveal any characteristic pigmentation. One patient presented with cervical lymph node metastases from a papillary microcarcinoma of thyroid.

Management of the clinically inapparent adrenal mass ("incidentaloma").

The National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Program convened surgeons, endocrinologists, pathologists, biostatisticians, radiologists, oncologists, and other health care professionals, as well as members of the general public, to address the causes, prevalence, and natural history of clinically inapparent adrenal masses, or "incidentalomas"; the appropriate evaluation and treatment of such masses; and directions for future research. Improvements in abdominal imaging techniques have increased detection of adrenal incidentalomas, and because the prevalence of these masses increases with age, appropriate management of adrenal tumors will be a growing challenge in our aging society. To address six predetermined questions, the 12-member nonfederal, nonadvocate state-of-the-science panel heard presentations from 21 experts in adrenal incidentalomas and consulted a systematic review of medical literature on the topic provided by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and an extensive bibliography developed by the National Library of Medicine.

Fine-Needle Aspiration in the Evaluation of Thyroid Neoplasms.

Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is a safe, rapid, and accurate diagnostic tool. Although it continues to gain acceptance, the pace is slow. Probably, if more pathologists master the basics (i.

A pathologist trying to help endocrinologists to interpret cytopathology reports from thyroid aspirates.

Fine-needle aspiration has become the diagnostic tool of choice in the initial evaluation of thyroid nodules. As a cytopathologist who has been performing fine-needle aspirations for over 25 yr at a university hospital and for the last 3 yr at the largest not-for-profit hospital in the Washington, D.C.