ES13
SURGEON PERFORMED, ULTRASOUND GUIDED, FINE NEEDLE ASPIRATION BIOPSY OF THYROID: A SAFE, CONVENIENT AND EFFECTIVE DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUE

Purpose: Office‐based ultrasound is becoming increasingly popular and is a great adjunct to conventional diagnostic techniques such as thyroid FNAB. We aim to evaluate the performance of surgeon performed ultrasound (US) guided FNAB of thyroid, focusing on its accuracy, and safety. Method: Performance of US guided FNAB performed in a single surgeon practice between 2006 and 2008 was retrospectively reviewed, with emphasis on non‐diagnostic and complication rates. Factors affecting FNAB outcome were tested using Chi‐square test and significance defined as p < 0.05 Results: 128 FNABs were performed on 100 patients. Mean lesion size was 22 mm, majority were solid on US. US FNAB had sensitivity of 85%, accuracy 75%. Non‐diagnostic rate was only 5.5% with no complications. Malignant or atypical findings accounted for 12%. 22% of cases proceeded to thyroidectomy, 46% of which yielded malignancy. Lesions which were solid and