Office-Based FNA Thyroid Nodule Biopsies a Viable Option

Physicians can successfully perform ultrasound-guided (US) fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of thyroid nodules in the office instead of referring patients to a hospital-based radiologist for the procedure, according to new data presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. It’s not all about the palate, according to Michael Freidman, MD, Professor of Otolaryngology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, who is known for developing the Friedman Tongue Position classification system.

We were able to get adequate biopsy results 93% of the time without the patient having to go to a hospital-based institution, said the study’s lead author, David L. Steward, MD, Director of the Thyroid and Parathyroid Program and Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Cincinnati.

Having an otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon perform FNAB in the office saves the patient time, explained Dr. Steward. Traditionally, office-based physicians refer patients to a hospital to see a radiologist for FNAB. Another advantage of performing office-based ultrasound (US) and ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (US-FNAB) is that the performing physician is familiar with the patient’s history and symptoms, he said.