A biopsy of the thyroid: what is it, how is it done? Thyroid biopsy: preparation, interpretation of test results, consequences

In modern conditions, the treatment of thyroid cancer has risen to a fairly high level. However, there is still a need for intervention in the internal structure of the body, that is, a biopsy of the thyroid gland is performed. What it is? - you ask. The answer will not keep you waiting if the nodes of your thyroid gland exceed in size 1 cm or if there are several such formations. The fact is that carrying out an ultrasound is not always enough. To learn the nature of education, you need to take a sample of the material and consider its state.

Recognition of the procedure necessary

Most scientists, as well as the World Health Organization recognized the need for such a procedure. Scientists point out that education, even the smallest size, if several, have the most unfavorable effect on the human body, so clarifying their nature is the responsibility of every physician who has encountered such a problem with the patient. People who seek help with such a problem are under the supervision of a doctor. The latter appoints to pass tests for the content of hormones, such as thyroid-stimulating hormone, triiodothyronine, thyroxine and so on. Periodic ultrasound is also prescribed, usually such procedures are performed 3-6 times a month, in addition, patients independently need to monitor their condition.

Preliminary consultation

When you consult a doctor, you will be told all the nuances that accompany a biopsy of the thyroid gland: what is it, what is it doing, what preparatory steps need to be taken to perform it, and so on.

Whether do or make anesthesia?

Quite a natural question that arises in every patient: how do thyroid biopsies? Although the name sounds scary, the procedure itself is not so terrible. In fact, this is a puncture of the cellular material from the node by means of a special very thin needle.

Preparation for the procedure

A biopsy of the thyroid gland is underway, preparation for which, by the way, is not required, in a matter of minutes. Anesthesia before starting a doctor is not done for two reasons:

1. The patient practically does not experience painful sensations, only a needle prick is felt.

2. A sample of the molecular mass can be injected, which will certainly affect its quality, and the procedure will have to be repeated many times.

The main method of performing a biopsy is a thin-needle puncture.

Procedure of biopsy

To determine the state of biological material from the nodes, the biopsy procedure begins. It involves drawing a biological material from a formation using a special needle, which is passed on to the study. All patients who are diagnosed with such formations should undergo a similar procedure. The most thorough research in conducting a biopsy is subject to large single formations.

On the eve of the procedure, if the patient is very worried, they can give him a sedative. The procedure starts with the patient lying on the couch with his head thrown back. The site of the injection is treated with alcohol, followed by several injections into the area of the nodes with the extraction of biological material. Doing several pricks is necessary, since a single puncture can not give the amount of material necessary to check. Next, the selected material is placed on the glass and sent for histological examination.

Restrictions for the patient

The patient is restricted: he can not be swallowed during the procedure. This is due to the fact that the needle is very thin, and the formations are small, so the slightest push can direct the needle in the wrong direction and the wrong material will be taken. The whole procedure is performed using an ultrasound machine. It is needed in order to control the direction of the needle under the skin, this increases the likelihood of it falling into the affected node. The whole procedure takes a maximum of half an hour, it can be performed both on an outpatient basis and in a hospital.

Evaluation of procedure results

Cytological examination of the samples takes an average of one week. The accuracy of the results is very high - 95%, not 100, because there is a human factor, that is, the personnel doing the puncture does not always have sufficient skill level, and the procedure itself is quite specific. The highest percentage of erroneous or non-informative diagnoses falls on the cases of sampling of the nodes whose size does not reach one centimeter.

Benign formulation in the case of such a procedure is nodular goiter, as well as all its variations. Benignity in obtaining the result is 98% of all cases. In the form of benign, also such formulations of diagnoses as: colloids, group of cells of follicular epithelium are considered - the probability of good quality with such diagnoses is 95%.

Malignant in 50% of cases are nodes with diagnoses:

• Difficulties with differentiation of adenoma;
• Node with symptoms of atypia;
• Proliferation of follicular epithelium.

In such cases, the formulation is follicular neoplasia.

The most dangerous and most often malignant diagnoses are:

• The mention in the diagnosis of carcinoma is almost one hundred percent malignancy of the node;
• Suspected carcinoma - approximately 80-90 percent probability;
• In 70% of cases of diagnosis, malignancy can not be ruled out, the malignant node.

Additional sample analysis

In some cases, the results of a thyroid biopsy require additional study. For example, flushing from the needle is often performed for the presence of thyroglobulin or calcitonin. These tests can increase the accuracy of the study if the results of routine studies are inaccurate, thus, sometimes detectable adenomas of the parathyroid glands that are located inside the thyroid tissue.

When the biopsy of the thyroid gland is completed, the results of the tests are given out to the patient on special forms. Here all the most important information received after the sample check is reflected: the state of the node, the location, size and so on. Usually the maximum waiting period for the results is 7 days, sometimes more, in some centers on the contrary, the evaluation period of the analyzes is 1-2 days.

Another way to check for malignancy

Radioisotope scanning is another way to check the status of nodes. He does not exclude a biopsy, but is a preliminary stage before it. In medical terminology there are 2 concepts: hot and cold nodes. Thyroid cells absorb iodine, which is part of the gland. When the patient is given radioactive iodine in the pictures of the thyroid gland, two images can be obtained. If the gland node consists of a cellular material that for some reason does not absorb iodine, then a bluish image will turn out, and it will be a cold knot. If iodine is actively absorbed, the image produces a bright orange image, this will be a hot knot.

It is quite difficult to determine the goodness of the nodes from these images, but if we talk about probabilities, then if the node is hot, the probability that it is malignant is much lower than if the picture is the opposite. Since radioisotope scanning does not give an unambiguous answer, doctors still resort to the final diagnosis in the form of a biopsy of the thyroid gland.

Thyroid biopsy: consequences

Puncture of the thyroid gland, in fact, is an absolutely harmless procedure. After it, almost never develop any complications, and if they are, they are very minor. So, the worst thing that can happen is a hemorrhage in the knot or inflammation in the puncture site, these complications are treated simply.

Some little knowledgeable or, in general, ignorant people believe that the cervical lymph node after taking a sample from a benign can turn into a malignant, but this is an absolute fallacy, it does not happen. A good-quality education can not become malignant by definition, the only option is if the doctor at the examination of samples misses something, but it happens extremely rarely. In general, do not listen to the story about the terrible properties with which the biopsy of the thyroid gland is famous, the consequences of it are absolutely insignificant.

Can cancer develop if it does not exist

If the node is malignant, then it is malignant and there the disease initially developed. If, at the beginning of growth, these properties were not incorporated into these nodes, then there can not be a cancer there. The point is that when the node starts to grow, there is already oncology in it. Until the node has started to grow, there is nothing to check, so WHO recommends checking only those nodes that exceed 1 cm in size, or if the formation is smaller, but ultrasound evidence clearly shows signs of oncology.

Yes, of course, there are situations where after a puncture in a couple of years the node starts to grow, and after the repeated procedure it turns out that there is still cancer. Then there are such plaintive speeches like "My friend had a biopsy of the thyroid gland, the reviews were good, and after the procedure six months later the node began to grow, what's the problem here?". The point here is not that the cancer appeared there only now, the problem usually lurks in three nuances:

• The first puncture was performed at an extremely small site size. Most likely, the doctor, when the procedure was performed, simply took the wrong material, in other words, did not get into the knot.

• Wrong technique of sampling. Some specialists, especially those working in small towns, when there is a biopsy of the thyroid gland, what it is, are little informed, and how it needs to be performed, the more they do not know, and the wrong results are obtained.

• The cytologist, when the biopsy of the thyroid gland was being performed, could not have noticed the pathology. The procedure itself can be performed perfectly and the samples can also turn out to be good, but the knowledge of the cytologist is also very important, because the correctness of the diagnosis depends on its care.

That's all there is to know about how the thyroid gland is biopsy, what it is and what it's for.