Ultrasound-Guided Thyroid Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy: Basic Techniques for Clinicians

Thyroid nodule is a very common disease that can be observed by ultrasound in 19-67% of population, of which 5-15% are diagnosed as thyroid cancer. Recently, the number of thyroid nodule cases has increased due to an increase in medical examination and testing. According to the data released by the Korea Central Cancer Registry in 2019, 26,170 cases of thyroid cancer were newly reported in 2017, ranking 4th overall, with a crude incidence rate of 51.1 per 100,000 people. Thyroid cancer can be found by using various imaging studies such as ultrasound, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging. When a suspected lesion is found, it can be confirmed pathologically by fine needle aspiration (FNA) whether under palpation or ultrasound guidance, ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy, or surgical excision. In this article, we will review how to diagnose thyroid cancer using ultrasound-guided FNA which is widely practiced, from the viewpoint of a clinician. Keywords: Thyroid gland; Ultrasound; Fine needle aspiration 중심 단어: ê°‘ìƒì„ ; 초음파; 세침흡인 검사