Abstract

Background: Thyroid nodules represent a difficult diagnostic problem. They are quite common in the population, while clinically apparent thyroid cancer the principal concern of both patient and physician is comparatively rare. Materials and method: We prospectively evaluated the clinical and pathological profile of 50 consecutive patients presenting with solitary thyroid nodule. Results: Most common age group was 30-39 years (4th decade) with a female: male ratio=6:1. Overall malignancy rate was 32%. The diagnostic assessment by Fine needle aspiration cytology in this study produces sensitivity of 92.71%, specificity of 78.26%, positive predictive value of 83.33% and negative predictive value of 90% thereby having an overall accuracy of 86%. Histopathological examination remains the gold standard for final accurate diagnosis.