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Making the FNA Count

Author: Jeffery Rinker

The hospital at Sanford Bemidji Medical Center has 119 beds and performs an average of 150 FNAs each year. Our histologists do both histology and cytology, with FNAs comprising the majority of our cytology. Since 2020, our non-diagnostic rates on FNA samples have fluctuated. In 2022, our rate was as high as 28%. Compared to the non-diagnostic rate of 10% outlined in The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology, our results were over two times the accepted rate. To bring non-diagnostic rates down at our facility, a look at processing from beginning to end.

Radiology was the first place to start an overview of the process. During observation, we discovered that multiple passes of the needle contributed the bloodier samples, which affected the specimens processed later. To counter this, we reduced the number of smears and increased the amount of specimen deposited into CytoLyt (ThinPrep).

Next, the cytology department process was examined. During this examination, it was discovered the CytoLyt (Thinprep) specimen was not being processed because of lack of specimen. When it was processed the slides were being dried to long leading to artifact on the slide. By increasing the sample size in radiology and using a slide dryer to regulate the drying, the lab was able to produce a more consistent result.

Following these changes, the lab projected to meet or exceed the goal of less than 10% non-diagnostic slide results by the end of 2023.