RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Worrisome histologic alterations following fine-needle aspiration of the parathyroid
JF Journal of Clinical Pathology
JO J Clin Pathol
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Association of Clinical Pathologists
SP 1094
OP 1096
DO 10.1136/jcp.2005.029017
VO 59
IS 10
A1 Alwaheeb, S
A1 Rambaldini, G
A1 Boerner, S
A1 Coiré, C
A1 Fiser, J
A1 Asa, S L
YR 2006
UL http://jcp.bmj.com/content/59/10/1094.abstract
AB Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is a procedure that is increasingly being performed. Artefacts occurring after FNA are reported to complicate the histological analysis of the tissue, mainly in the thyroid; WHAFFT (worrisome histologic alterations following FNA of thyroid) is well documented in the literature. The case of a male patient with hypercalcaemia who was subsequently found to have a nodule in the thyroid gland is reported here. He underwent FNA, followed by a total thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy. The abnormality in the parathyroid gland showed worrisome histological changes that were suspicious of a malignant lesion, resembling the changes seen in the thyroid gland after FNA. Parathyroid cells were identified by a review of the previous FNA. The concept of WHAFFT, which can mimic the features of malignancy in the parathyroid gland, is therefore introduced.