Thyroid Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) Cytology

Testing Laboratory

Department

Cytology

Delphic Registration Code (Alpha Code)

NGYN

Test Code (Numeric Code)

9032

Laboratory Handling

Transport

Rinse the needles into a CytoLyt centrifuge tube and submit the cell suspension to the laboratory.

Sample Stability

Liquid-based specimens in CytoLyt are stable for up to 8 days

Synonyms

Cytology, Thyroid FNA, FNA

Turnaround Time

5 days

80% reported within 5 working days, we follow the RCPA guidelines.

Specimen Type

• Aspirate

Specimen Requirements

Tube/Container Type:

Preferred

• Thin Prep

Acceptable

• Specimen Container

Paediatric Specimen Requirements

Tube/Container Type:

Preferred

• Thin Prep

Acceptable

• Specimen Container

Pre-testing Requirements

Ultrasound-guided FNA is preferred, with at least four needle passes typically performed

Test Method

Liquid Based Cytology - ThinPrep

Limitations / Interference

Diagnostic accuracy is dependent on specimen adequacy, sampling technique, lesion characteristics.

Uncertainty of Measurement

Uncertainty of measurement is not applicable to thyroid FNA cytology because the examination is qualitative and based on expert cytomorphological interpretation rather than quantitative measurement.

Contact Information