Thyroid Biopsy: What To Think About

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What To Think About

• A normal (negative) report on a thyroid biopsy does not mean for sure that the thyroid gland is healthy. It is possible that a problem may have been missed. Many thyroid tumors are small, and the biopsy sample may come from an area of the thyroid that is free from disease. A fine-needle biopsy can have a false-negative result.
• Your doctor may not be able to use a needle biopsy to find out what is causing your symptoms. An open thyroid biopsy may be needed.
• If a thyroid nodule is found and thyroid hormone levels are normal, most doctors recommend a thyroid needle biopsy instead of a thyroid ultrasound or radioactive thyroid scan. For more information, see the medical tests Thyroid and Parathyroid Ultrasound, Thyroid Scan, and Radioactive Iodine Uptake Test.
• If a thyroid nodule is found and high thyroid levels (hyperthyroidism) are present, a radioactive iodine uptake (RAIU) test is generally recommended before a thyroid biopsy. Nodules that cause hyperthyroidism are generally noncancerous (benign) and can be treated with medicine or radioactive iodine. For more information, see the medical test Radioactive Iodine Uptake Test.

Last updated:	August 14, 2008
Author:	Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS
Reviewed By:	Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine, Matthew I. Kim, MD - Endocrinology & Metabolism
Editors:	Maria Essig, Tracy Landauer