Fine needle aspiration of the thyroid

This test may be done in your health care provider's office or in a hospital. Numbing medicine (anesthesia) may or may not be used. Because the needle is very thin, you may not need this medicine. You lie on your back with a pillow under your shoulders with your neck extended. The biopsy site is cleaned. A thin needle…

Tell your provider if you have medicine allergies , bleeding problems, or are pregnant. Also, make sure your provider has a current list of all medicines you take, including herbal remedies and over-the-counter medicines. A few days to a week before your biopsy, you may be asked to temporarily stop taking…

If numbing medicine is used, you may feel a sting as the needle is inserted and the medicine is injected. As the biopsy needle passes into your thyroid, you may feel some pressure, but it should not be painful. You may have slight discomfort in your neck afterward. You may also have slight bruising, which soon goes…

This is a test to diagnose thyroid disease or thyroid cancer . It is often used to find out if thyroid nodules that your provider can feel or see on an ultrasound are noncancerous or cancerous.

A normal result shows the thyroid tissue looks normal and the cells do not appear to be cancer under a microscope.

Abnormal results may mean: Thyroid disease, such as goiter or thyroiditis Noncancerous tumors Thyroid cancer

The main risk is bleeding into or around the thyroid gland. With severe bleeding, there may be pressure on the windpipe (trachea). This problem is rare.

Ahmad FI, Zafereo ME, Lai SY. Management of thyroid neoplasms. In: Flint PW, Francis HW, Haughey BH, et al, eds. Cummings Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 122. Faquin WC, Fadda G, Cibas ES. Fine-needle aspiration of the thyroid gland: The 2017 Bethesda System. In:…