Shabb Nina S, Salti Ibrahim
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Centre, Beirut, Lebanon.
Diagn Cytopathol. 2006 Jan;34(1):18-23. doi: 10.1002/dc.20395.
Subacute thyroiditis (SAT) is usually diagnosed clinically without the need for fine-needle aspiration. The cytologic literature on this condition is therefore rare. We report on 14 cases of SAT presenting with thyroid nodules. The majority of patients were women with a mean age of 46 yr. All had pain/tenderness in the thyroid area accompanied by fever or an elevated ESR. The salient cytologic features included cellular smears; multinucleated giant cells in 100% of cases, some ingesting colloid or neutrophils; fibrous fragments with enmeshed inflammatory cells were a constant feature; follicular cells were scant to absent in most cases. Granulomas were rare. Colloid, when present was thick, with central cracks and frayed edges. One case was suspicious for malignancy. We conclude that the cytologic features of SAT are predictable, particularly, in the appropriate clinical setting. FNA is also helpful in ruling out concomitant neoplastic conditions.
亚急性甲状腺炎（SAT）通常通过临床诊断，无需进行细针穿刺。因此，关于这种疾病的细胞学文献很少。我们报告了14例伴有甲状腺结节的亚急性甲状腺炎病例。大多数患者为女性，平均年龄46岁。所有患者甲状腺区域均有疼痛/压痛，伴有发热或血沉升高。显著的细胞学特征包括细胞涂片；100%的病例中有多核巨细胞，有些吞噬胶体或中性粒细胞；带有炎症细胞的纤维碎片是一个恒定特征；大多数病例中滤泡细胞稀少或缺失。肉芽肿罕见。胶体如有则浓稠，有中央裂缝和边缘磨损。1例怀疑为恶性。我们得出结论，亚急性甲状腺炎的细胞学特征是可预测的，特别是在适当的临床背景下。细针穿刺抽吸活检也有助于排除合并的肿瘤性疾病。
