Research Article
Comparison of Ultrasound-Guided Fine-Needle Cytology Quality in Thyroid Nodules with 22-, 23-, and 25-Gauge Needles
Table 1
Scoring system for specimen quality analysis for thyroid nodules.
| Smear parameters and quality description | Scores |
| Background of blood or clot | Excessive: nondiagnosis | 0 | Intermediate: diagnosis possible | 1 | Minimal: diagnosed easily | 2 | Number of obtained cells | Minimal: nondiagnosis | 0 | Intermediate: diagnosis possible | 1 | Abundant: diagnosed easily | 2 | Preserved tissue architecture | Minimal to absent: nondiagnosis | 0 | Intermediate: some preservation | 1 | Well preserved: diagnosed easily | 2 | Cellular degeneration | Severe: nondiagnosis | 0 | Intermediate: diagnosis possible | 1 | Minimal: diagnosed easily | 2 |
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0-≤2 points: unable to diagnose; >2-≤5 points: diagnosable; >5-≤8 points: easy to diagnose.
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