False negative rate of fine‐needle aspiration in thyroid nodules: impact of nodule size and ultrasound pattern

Abstract

Background

To retrospectively evaluate the false negative rate of ultrasound‐guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) according to the nodule size and ultrasound pattern.

Methods

We included 432 consecutive thyroid nodules from 384 patients who underwent ultrasound‐guided FNA with benign results (≥1 cm). The false negative rate in the nodules was assessed according to the nodule size and ultrasound pattern based on the Korean‐Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (K‐TIRADS).

Results

The overall false negative rate was 3.2%. There was a trend toward an increasing false negative rate as the K‐TIRADS score increased (P < .001). In low or high suspicion nodules (K‐TIRADS 3 and 5), there was no significant difference in false negative rate according to the nodule size; however, among the intermediate suspicion nodules (K‐TIRADS 4), the false negative rate was higher in large nodules (≥3 cm, P = .039).

Conclusion

The impact of nodule size on the false negative rate differed according to the ultrasound pattern.

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