Changes in Fine Needle Aspiration Diagnoses
Author Information
Author(s): Woon Carolyn, Bardales Ricardo H, Stanley Michael W, Stelow Edward B
Primary Institution: University of Minnesota
Hypothesis
How often do diagnoses from rapid interpretation of fine needle aspiration change by the final diagnosis?
Conclusion
Discrepancies between rapid interpretations and final diagnoses occur 5.8% of the time, often due to additional material available at the final diagnosis.
Supporting Evidence
- 5.8% of rapid interpretations had discrepancies with final diagnoses.
- Most discrepancies involved changes from non-diagnostic or benign to malignancy.
- Different pathologists interpreted the rapid and final diagnoses in 31 cases.
Takeaway
Sometimes, doctors make mistakes when looking at samples quickly, and later they find out they were wrong about the diagnosis in a small number of cases.
Methodology
Cytology reports from 1/1/02 to 12/31/03 were reviewed for discrepancies between rapid interpretations and final diagnoses.
Potential Biases
Inter-observer variability may affect diagnosis accuracy due to different pathologists interpreting the samples.
Limitations
The study is limited to a single institution and may not represent broader practices.
Participant Demographics
Pathologists involved had subspecialty training in cytopathology.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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