Comparison of Ultrasound-Guided Fine-Needle Cytology Quality in Thyroid Nodules with 22-, 23-, and 25-Gauge Needles

Table 4

Average score of each parameters in 22 G, 23 G, and 25 G groups of FNA and FNC.

Smear parameters	Thyroid nodules:
	FNA			FNC
	25 G	23 G	22 G	25 G	23 G	22 G
Background of blood or clot	^a	^a		^b	^b
Number of obtained cells	^a	^a		^b	^b
Preserved tissue architecture	^a	^a		^b	^b
Cellular degeneration	^a	^a		^b	^b
Total score	^a	^a		^b	^b

FNA: fine-needle aspiration; FNC: fine-needle capillary sampling. ^a (significant difference between 25 G and 23 G in FNA). ^b (significant difference between 25 G and 23 G in FNC).