The correlation between fine needle aspiration diagnosis and postoperative histopathological results of…

Cohort studyFrontiers in endocrinology· 2026

The correlation between fine needle aspiration diagnosis and postoperative histopathological results of pediatric thyroid nodules based on the Bethesda system.

Xue Bai, Jingjing Xu, Na Wei … Jinjuan Chen

Head & Neck & Endocrine PathologyCohort studyDiagnosisQ1IF 5.2

Bethesda cytology system shows high diagnostic accuracy for definitive pediatric thyroid nodule categories

The correlation between fine needle aspiration diagnosis and postoperative histopathological results of pediatric thyroid nodules based on the Bethesda system.

Xue Bai … Jinjuan Chen

Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026

Background

Pediatric thyroid nodules have higher malignancy rates than adult nodules, necessitating accurate diagnostic evaluation.

Purpose

This study evaluated the correlation between fine needle aspiration (fine needle aspiration) results using the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (TBSRTC) and postoperative histopathological findings in pediatric patients.

Methods

This retrospective analysis included 696 pediatric patients who underwent ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration for thyroid nodules from 2017-2024.

Results

cytology accurately confirmed benign and malignant results in nearly all cases

98.58%

Sensitivity

100%

Specificity

More results

Among 246 operated patients, the overall ROM ranged from 32.76% (ROM-C) to 92.68% (ROM-H).

ROM increased progressively across Bethesda categories: II (1.11%-27.27%), III (25.40%-66.67%), IV (22.22%-100%), V (74.70%-100%), and VI (82.39%-100%).

Papillary thyroid carcinoma predominated (88.62%).

More results

BRAF V600E mutation was detected in 51.53% of histologically confirmed malignancies and 10.96% in fine needle aspiration samples from patients who did not undergo surgery.

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Conclusion · 1 of 2

The Bethesda system provides high diagnostic accuracy for definitive cytological categories in pediatric thyroid nodules.

Conclusion · 2 of 2

Even indeterminate categories carry elevated malignancy risk, supporting careful surgical consideration and the value of BRAF V600E testing for preoperative risk stratification.

The correlation between fine needle aspiration diagnosis and postoperative histopathological results of pediatric thyroid nodules based on the Bethesda system.

The correlation between fine needle aspiration diagnosis and postoperative histopathological results of pediatric thyroid nodules based on the Bethesda system.

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