Small thyroid nodules, which are diagnosed as follicular pattern for fine-needle aspiration, are a cause of great worry. They may present a lesion requiring rigorous follow up, or on other hand, there is a risk that some normal thyroid tissue is removed during the procedure. OBJECTIVE: To verify the cytology of a normal thyroid tissue, for aspiration and non-aspiration puncture, in autopsy material. METHODS: Observational study involving the anatomical dissection and cytoaspiration of normal thyroid glands in 38 cadavers. Two blind pathologists, unaware of the cytology and histology, analyzed the smears and the histological cuts. RESULTS: One of pathologists identified a diagnostic cytology of adenomatous goiter in 70.4% of the 38 normal glands found, while the other observed it in 92.4%. There was regular agreement between them, with Kappa of 0.51 (p < 0.0001). Contrary to what was expected, follicular patterns were not found among the cytological samples. RESULTS: The cytological aspect of a normal thyroid in cadavers was the same as that for adenomatous goiter.
Thyroid nodule; Thyroid; Biopsy, needle; Pathology; Autopsy
