Effect of a Biopsy Center on Adequacy Rates of Thyroid Nodule Fine-Needle Aspiration.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a biopsy center-a dedicated space with a dedicated ultrasound machine and technologist, staffed daily by a radiologist responsible for performing ultrasound-guided procedures only-on the rate of non-diagnostic or unsatisfactory thyroid fine-needle aspiration (FNA).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three radiologists performed FNA on 1200 nodules in 998 patients between September 2010 and November 2015. We compared rates of nondiagnostic or unsatisfactory FNA before and after implementation of a biopsy center in September 2014 as part of a quality improvement initiative. Before the establishment of our biopsy center, ultrasound-guided procedures were scheduled between diagnostic studies in the main ultrasound department and were performed by a radiologist responsible for both. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the effect of the biopsy center on the odds of obtaining an adequate sample.

RESULTS: Rates of nondiagnostic or unsatisfactory FNA decreased significantly from 15.1% to 8.5% (p < 0.001) after implementation of the biopsy center. The odds of obtaining an adequate sample were higher in the biopsy center (odds ratio, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.43-3.01), even after adjusting for patient age, nodule size, the radiologist performing the procedure, and time over the study period.

CONCLUSION: The implementation of a biopsy center was associated with significantly lower rates of nondiagnostic or unsatisfactory thyroid FNA, suggesting target rates of 10% or lower are achievable with quality improvement measures.