Ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration Thyroid:  Preparations

Thyroid Cancer Mutation Panel (ThyroSeq)

Ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) of thyroid nodules is a safe and minimally invasive procedure that is performed in an outpatient setting. Visualization of the biopsy needle within the nodule using ultrasound allows the biopsy to be highly accurate.

What are Indications for thyroid fine needle aspiration?

→ Solitary thyroid nodule
→ Dominant/Large thyroid nodule
→ Nodule exhibiting suspicious sonographic characteristics (irrelevant of size)
→ Non functioning/cold nodule on a Nuclear Medicine Thyroid Scan

How is the procedure performed?

The procedure is performed by a specially trained radiologist who has experience in fine needle aspirations and ultrasound interpretations.

The neck is cleaned by an antiseptic. A local anesthetic is generally used. Approximately 1-2 ml of Lidocaine hydrochloride is injected into the skin and subcutaneous tissue at the level of the thyroid nodule.

Using ultrasound for guidance, a 25 gauge needle is placed into the nodule and an aspirate is obtained. Several specimens may be needed for a complete analysis. The patient is instructed not to swallow or speak during this process.

The aspirated material is placed on glass slides, and fixed in ethyl alcohol. In between obtaining the specimens, light pressure is placed on the patient’s neck in order to stop any bleeding from developing. The procedure is usually completed in less than 30 minutes.

Thyroid Cancer Mutation Panel (ThyroSeq) – Is a new next generation gene sequencing to evaluate nodules that are indeterminate for thyroid cancer.

Thyroseq test is available at Select Diagnostic Imaging through CBL Laboratories.

If you have your thyroid biopsy performed at Select Diagnostic Imaging, the Thyroseq test in most cased will be performed at the time of the thyroid biopsy in case of an indeterminate or inconclusive diagnosis.

ThyroSeq – More information

• See sample cytology and ThyroSeq report

Ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration Thyroid:   Preparations
Do not take aspirin 7 days prior to the procedure. If you use blood thinners such as Coumadin or Plavix, please notify our staff when making your appointment.