Table 4 Comparison of main diagnostic values for inadequate and adequate fine needle aspirations.

From: Modified Bethesda system informing cytopathologic adequacy improves malignancy risk stratification in nodules considered benign or atypia(follicular lesion) of undetermined significance

Diagnostic indicator

Inadequate FNAs||

Adequate FNAs

p-value

Sensitivity (malignant, suspicious for malignancy, FN/SFN, and AUS/FLUS)*,†

112/134 (83.6%)

284/289 (98.3%)

<0.001

Sensitivity (malignant, suspicious for malignancy, and FN/SFN)‡,§

62/84 (73.8%)

264/269 (98.1%)

<0.001

Specificity*

38/60 (63.3%)

30/56 (53.6%)

0.288

Specificity (excluding AUS/FLUS)

38/41 (92.7%)

30/37 (81.1%)

0.128

PPV for malignant, suspicious for malignancy, FN/SFN, and AUS/FLUS

112/134 (83.6%)

284/310 (91.6%)

0.013

PPV for malignant, suspicious for malignancy, and FN/SFN§

62/65 (95.4%)

264/271 (97.4%)

0.387

NPV for benign cytology

38/60 (63.3%)

30/35 (85.7%)

0.020

Diagnostic accuracy (malignant, suspicious for malignancy, FN/SFN, AUS/FLUS and benign)*

150/194 (77.3%)

314/345 (91.0%)

<0.001

Diagnostic accuracy (malignant, suspicious for malignancy, FN/SFN, and benign)

100/125 (80.0%)

294/306 (96.1%)

<0.001

  1. Abbreviations: FNA: fine-needle aspiration; AUS/FLUS: atypia (or follicular lesion) of undetermined significance; FN/SFN: follicular neoplasm or suspicious for a follicular neoplasm; PPV: positive predictive value; NPV: negative predictive value.
  2. *The non-diagnostic category was excluded.
  3. AUS/FLUS, FN/SFN, suspicious for malignancy, and malignant nodules with malignant surgical pathology were considered true-positives.
  4. Cases interpreted as non-diagnostic or AUS/FLUS were excluded.
  5. §FN/SFN, suspicious for malignancy, and malignant cases confirmed to be malignant were considered true-positives.
  6. ||Cases were collected from April 2011 to March 2016.
  7. Cases were collected from July to December 2013.