How long does it take to get results by fine needle aspiration thyroid cytology (FNA)?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Nguyen Dinh Hung - Doctor of Radiology - Department of Diagnostic Imaging - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital

Fine-needle aspiration cytology is performed to confirm the diagnosis of the cause of thyroid disease, especially thyroid cancer. So how long does it take to get results after Fine Needle Aspiration Thyroid Aspiration?

1. What is a thyroid biopsy?

A thyroid biopsy is a method of taking a sample of thyroid tissue to check for infection, detect and stage cancer or other thyroid-related problems.
Thyroid biopsy methods include:
Fine-needle aspiration thyroid cytology (FNA): Using a needle to take a sample of the thyroid gland. This method is widely used because of its convenience and less pain. Open Biopsy: Open surgery to directly visualize the thyroid gland. Only when other methods are unsuccessful should an open biopsy be performed. Core Needle Biopsy: Uses a core needle with a special needle tip to remove a tissue sample about the size of a grain of rice.

2. Thyroid biopsy in which case?

In patients with an initial diagnosis of thyroid cancer, after a thyroid ultrasound or CT scan, the results show a thyroid tumor, they will continue to be assigned to perform a thyroid biopsy. thyroid to evaluate the benign - malignant of the tumor. More specifically, biopsies are performed in the following cases:
External palpation reveals nodules in the neck region. The ultrasound results showed that the thyroid nodule had a suspicious size and morphology. The ultrasound results show that the thyroid nodule is less than 1cm in size, but there are other signs that suggest malignancy. Note, if the patient has a low TSH in the blood test results and the CT scan shows a benign thyroid nodule, a thyroid biopsy should not be performed.

3. Steps to perform a biopsy

Depending on the thyroid biopsy method chosen, the steps are different. Here are two procedures that perform a needle thyroid biopsy and an open surgery.

3.1. Fine needle aspiration of thyroid cells

A fine needle aspiration thyroid cell aspiration is performed as follows:
Step 1: The patient lies on his or her back, placing a pillow under the shoulder so that the head can be tilted back and widen the neck area to easily conduct the biopsy. Step 2: Disinfect the biopsy needle puncture site. The patient may be given a sedative to relax before the biopsy. Step 3: Use the ultrasound machine to place the needle in the correct position for the thyroid biopsy. When the needle is in place, the doctor takes out a sample of thyroid tissue and fluid. Note, during the needle puncture, the patient must not swallow, talk or cough. The entire biopsy takes about 5-10 minutes. Step 4: Finish the process, the doctor bandages the area where the biopsy was performed.

3.2. Thyroid biopsy using open biopsy method

Thyroid biopsy by open biopsy method is performed as follows:
Step 1: Establish an intravenous line for anesthesia. You may be given a sedative to help you sleep and relax during the biopsy. Step 2: Disinfect the skin of the biopsy area. The doctor then makes an incision in the neck area to take a sample of thyroid tissue. If a thyroid nodule has been diagnosed, this process may include partial or total removal of the thyroid gland. An open thyroid biopsy can take about 1 hour. Step 3: At the end of the process, the doctor stitches the incision and bandages it. The patient needs to keep the incision clean and dry for 48 hours. During this time, there may be a small amount of bleeding from the incision.

4. How long does a thyroid biopsy take to get results?

The time it takes to return thyroid biopsy results depends on the type of biopsy performed, specifically:
Fine-needle aspiration thyroid cytology : The FNA test (needle aspiration biopsy) can show results in about 30 - 60 minutes after the biopsy. Open Biopsy: The time from receiving a biopsy sample to processing tissue analysis can be up to 12 hours. So, the results will be available by the next day at the latest or the results will be available in a few days.

5. Some notes after thyroid biopsy

For a fine needle aspiration thyroid biopsy, you may feel a slight pain in the neck as the needle is inserted into the thyroid gland during the procedure. For about 1-2 days after the biopsy, you may feel some swelling and pain at the biopsy site. For pain relief, acetaminophen may be given under the direction of your doctor.
For an open biopsy, for 1-2 days after the biopsy, the patient may experience fatigue and generalized muscle pain. There may also be nausea, hoarseness, and sore throat. Particularly painful swelling at the biopsy site can last for 3-4 days.
After a thyroid biopsy in general, the patient should note:
Rest when feeling tired and dizzy. If you see blood coming from the biopsy site, you need to go to a medical facility to be cleaned and bandaged. When you see signs such as heavy bleeding from the biopsy site, increased pain and swelling, or the area around the biopsy site feels warm, oozing pus, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, difficulty swallowing, fever, need to immediately go to a medical facility for a doctor to check and treat. A thyroid biopsy can give results within one to several days, depending on how the biopsy was performed.
Compared with many other cancers, thyroid cancer is one of the diseases with a good prognosis when the cancer is not at the metastatic stage. Therefore, early detection of the disease not only prolongs the patient's life, but also saves treatment costs. That's why thyroid cancer screening is so important.
In order to provide customers with the best solutions to protect their health, Vinmec International Hospital is currently implementing screening services for thyroid diseases to help check thyroid function. , early detection of common thyroid diseases such as simple goiter, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, thyroiditis, thyroid nodules, thyroid cancer. Currently, all examination procedures are always performed by a team of qualified doctors combined with a system of modern medical equipment to help diagnose accurately and shorten time.

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