RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Role of fine-needle aspiration cytology in evaluating thyroid nodules JF Saudi Medical Journal JO Saudi Med J FD Prince Sultan Military Medical City SP 1098 OP 1103 DO 10.15537/smj.2020.10.25417 VO 41 IS 10 A1 Bahaj, Ahmed S. A1 Alkaff, Haddad H. A1 Melebari, Bashair N. A1 Melebari, Anwar N. A1 Sayed, Suhail I. A1 Mujtaba, Syeddah S. A1 Abdelmonim, Sherif K. A1 Alghamdi, Saeed A. A1 Alghamdi, Fares E. A1 Suliman, Omar A. Abu A1 Alessa, Mohammad A. A1 Sheffah, Firas R. Abi A1 Al-Tammas, Anas H. A1 Al-Zahrani, Rajab A. A1 Marglani, Osama A. A1 Heaphy, John C. A1 Bawazir, Osama A. A1 Alherabi, Ameen Z. YR 2020 UL http://smj.org.sa/content/41/10/1098.abstract AB Objectives: To evaluate the accuracy and efficacy of fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in diagnosing thyroid nodules, correlating it with the histopathological findings.Methods: A retrospective evaluation of 314 patients was undertaken at a tertiary referral center of King Abdullah Medical City (KAMC), Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, between 2010-2019. Patients who presented with thyroid swellings underwent ultrasonography and FNAC. If indicated, surgery was performed. The FNAC findings were compared to the final histopathological reports.Results: The findings for FNAC from our data set of 314 patients showed a sensitivity value of 79.8%, specificity of 82.1%, accuracy of 74.8%, positive predictive value of 74.8%, and negative predictive value of 85.9%.Conclusion: Our study showed that FNAC has high sensitivity and specificity in the initial evaluation of patients with thyroid nodules. When guided by ultrasonography, the accuracy can be markedly improved. Molecular markers once widely available can improve the diagnostic power of FNAC to be no less than the histopathologic evaluation of thyroid tissue.