Comparison of cytology reports of FNA cases in thyroid nodules presented separately by two pathologists with the results of thyroid surgery

Thyroid nodules are one of the most common clinical conditions. Needle aspiration is used to detect malignancy. This study aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy of fine needle aspiration in thyroid nodules.
In this cross-sectional study, fine needle aspiration slides of 115 patients were examined by two independent pathologists and the results were reported according to the Bethesda System. Then, the diagnostic accuracy of the cytological results of fine needle aspiration was compared with the pathology result of the surgical specimen.
A total of 115 patients were assessed, with a mean age of 40.12 years. Most cases were female (84.35%), most were unilateral and on the right side (50.4%) and the mean TSH was 2.13±1.1 in the study patients. The first pathologist reported 39.13% and 60.87% of cases, respectively benign and malignant while the second pathologist respectively reported 52.63% and 63.48% benign and malignant. Kappa agreement coefficient between the two pathologists was 0.69 for the diagnosis of benign and malignant cases in thyroid nodules. The diagnostic accuracy of the first and second pathologists was 79.13% and 90.43%, respectively, in comparison with surgical pathology samples.
The pathologist has a crucial role in differentiating benign and malignant nodules in FNA specimens and preventing surgery.