Fine needle aspiration cytology in non-neoplastic non-toxic recurrent nodular goitre

The aim of the study was to examine whether evaluation of anisokaryosis is helpful in the cytological diagnosis of focal lesions in non-toxic recurrent goitre (NRG) after thyroidectomy for non-malignant goitre. Karyometric analysis was performed in routine cytological smears obtained from 80 females: 40 with focal lesions in non-toxic primary goitre (NPG) and 40 with NRG (postoperative histopathological examination revealed nodular goitre in both groups in all cases). We found that the level of anisokaryosis was significantly (P < 0.005) higher in NRG than in NPG. There were no significant differences between the two lesions, in cellular composition or thyroid follicular cell arrangement. Thus, isolated anisokaryosis, a feature of malignancy in patients without a prior thyroidectomy, has limited diagnostic value in recurrent goitre.