Fine needle suction puncture, known by its acronym BAAF, of the thyroid is the best test to determine whether a thyroid nodule is benign or malignant, providing essential information to determine the type of treatment to be performed.
Small, benign thyroid nodules typically do not need treatment, but in the case of large nodules, even if they are benign, surgery may be needed to remove them, and in the case of a malignant nodule, it is always necessary to remove the thyroid because it represents cancer. How to identify a thyroid nodule.
Your doctor requests a fine needle suction puncture during the ultrasound exam:
When there is more than one lump in the thyroid, all should be examined, removing the solid and liquid parts of all for laboratory analysis.
Fine needle aspiration puncture might be similar to thyroid ultrasound, with the best result, the plant with nodule palpation, when BAAF is performed small pieces of tissue that make up the nodule can be analyzed in the laboratory, and during this test, the liquid part can also be removed to analyze and decrease the size of the nodule.
The BAAF type is a little but the pain is bearable and the person sells the test with a healing adhesive bandage covering the puncture site It is not possible to perform this test under anesthesia, since the only anesthesia that would be effective is general anesthesia, since there is no risk for use during the performing of this test.
People taking blood-thinning medications such as AAS, heparin or warfarin should stop taking these medicines 3 days before punctuation.
Appreciate the exemenes that evaluate the thyroid
Fine needle suction puncture results, as classified by the Bethesda system, may indicate:
Master’s degree in diagnosis, dissatisfaction
Repeat BAAF with an ultrasound
Benign nodule: colloid goiter, hyperplastic nodule or lymphocytic thyroiditis.
The atypsies, follicular injury in the indeterminate sense, is to decide, in conclusion
Repeat BAAF in 3 months and consider surgery
Suspected follicular neoplasm or follicular neoplasm, i. e. in conclusion
These are only recommendations, so that endocrinologists and chief surgeons can decide whether to repeat the test for 3 to 6 months to compare the results and evaluate the created nodule, for example, and then decide if desired. Surgery is required to remove the thyroid and perform radioactive treatment, if necessary.