Fine needle aspiration of thyroid lump?
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I had this done a year ago. Do not worry, it's not painful. They gave me an injection with a numbing agent to start. If you've ever had Novocain at the dentist's office that's exactly what it felt like, not something I would consider painful. More like a little pinch and then a slight tingle/burning as you feel it go in. I was worried about staying still and not swallowing, but like anything you worry more before - when it was actually happening it was no problem to stay still. You only need to be still for a few seconds at a time. As someone mentioned you're in a somewhat odd position with your head leaning back, but again it's not painful just unusual.
You will be given a local anesthetic. In other words the doctor will inject with a very small needle some anesthetic at the site, this will be done under a ultra sound, then he will insert a biopsy needle that is in a casing (about the size of one of those large lighters used for the bbq) you will hear a click sound, then he will remove the inside shaft, clear it and then do it again..this will be done in the initial hole. Ask him/her to show you the equipment before beginning and explain it to you.
Good Luck
You will do just fine!
A biopsy to obtain tissue for analysis is the best technique for detecting or ruling out the presence of cancer. Fine needle aspiration biopsy has become the method of choice for obtaining samples of thyroid tissue. The procedure is technically quitesimple. When performed properly, the testing has a false negative rate of less than 5%. This means that a positive finding,such as cancer, will be missed fewer than five times out of 100. The fine needle aspiration is also performed to treat thyroid cysts. A thyroid cyst is a fluid–filled sac within the thyroid gland. Aspiration of the cyst with a needle and syringe can shrink the swelling from the cyst and the fluid removed can be analyzed for cancer. Little preparation by the patient is required. There is no need to fast or to withhold medications on the day of the biopsy. Occasionally, though, a patient may be asked not to take blood thinning medication on the day of the biopsy. After an examination to pinpoint the nodule, the patient is asked to lie down and the neck is exposed. Depending on the location of the nodule and the type of clothes the patient is wearing, he or she may be asked to change into a gown. The doctor drapes the area around the neck and cleans the neck off. This is usually done with iodine, which is a brown liquid that sterilizes the skin. Some doctors may choose to inject a local anesthetic. Often, the injection of the anesthetic results in an initial discomfort, like a bee sting. The majority of doctors who regularly perform fine needle aspiration biopsies of the thyroid do not use a local anesthetic for this reason. Since the needle used for fine needle aspiration biopsy is so fine, anesthesia often results in simply another uncomfortable poke for the patient. If a patient is particularly concerned and nervous, a topical anesthetic preparation may be applied, which takes 10 to 20 minutes to work, thus prolonging the procedure. A patient undergoing fine needle aspiration biopsy should discuss any preferences for local anesthetic before the procedure begins. Most patients undergoing fine needle aspiration biopsy forego the use of any anesthetic and do very well. Once the patient is ready, a small, fine–gauge needle is inserted into the nodule. The needle is smaller in diameter than the needle used in most blood draws (usually a 25 gauge 1.5 inch needle). The patient holds his breath while the needle is rocked gently to obtain as much tissue as possible. (The reason for holding the breath is to minimize movement of the structures in the neck.) The needle is then withdrawn and pressure is applied over the thyroid area to minimize bleeding. This procedure is usually repeated four to six times to ensure that an adequate amount of tissue has been collected. After the procedure, pressure is applied over the neck area for 5 to 10 minutes to assure that the bleeding has stopped. The pressure also helps to reduce any swelling that may occur. The entire procedure usually takes less than 20 minutes.
I add a link with details of this subject
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/
medther/tayendoweb/images/
fine_needle_aspiration.htm
Hope this helps
matador 89
My wife has been a Thyroid patient for the last 19 years or so and every four to five years they do this to her.
Here's the scoop. Most of the time they will use a local anesthetic but sometimes they just go on and do it without nothing. My wife has had both and she says that it will bother you more than hurt you. You can always request a local.
The position they put you in to do the aspiration is really uncomfortable since you will have your head just about between your shoulder blades. When they say "Don't move, Don't Swallow." don't. It will get so uncomfortable you will not feel the procedure or will just be so ready to get out of the position that it will not bother you that they are poking your neck with needles.
As far as having a needle in your throat putting you off... Well yes but it's worse if you don't do the procedure and there is something malignant there.
actually i just had this done monday (turned out benign-yay)
i was wheeled into the ultrasound room, where the tech and then the radiologist explain the procedure to me. they cleaned my neck with ioding then but a drape over me. the dr. gave me a couple of shots of lidocaine in the neck (very shallow, just on the surface.) this did hurt-felt like a burning, not a lot of fun but nothing compared to say-dental pain. after a minute, the doctor used the biopsy needle to take a sample. i couldnt even feel that needle. the whole thing took about 10 minutes. you will be fine and good luck
I had this done last year. Yes, it was slightly uncomfortable and not something I would like to do often. After a drink at the hospital and a rest I drove myself home and all I needed to take afterwards was a couple of paracetamol. Luckily my lump was benign and although I still have the lump it causes me no problems. Good luck.
Well, I have had 4 needle biopsies of my Thyroid Gland. Yes, the Doc does administer a local anesthetic before doing the biopsy but, depending on the size of the lump( small versus big) that can make a difference as to how difficult or not, to obtain the biopsy. Mine is relatively small but growing, the biopsies are uncomfortable because the area is small . It is important to have the biopsy done because it can tell the Doc if it something serious or not. So, just do it!! That's the bottom line ! I hope that this helps and Good Luck.
Hi there
I have had this done twice before, I wasn't offered any local anaesthetic but I'm sure if you mention you would like some, the Dr will sort this out for you, the procedure its self only lasted about 10Min's each time, the Dr puts some gel on your throat and takes a ultra sound to determine where to take the sells from.. And the a couple of very fine needles are used to take samples, I found it a little uncomfortable but it was nothing compared to what I expected.
If you are worried about it get the dr to talk the procedure through with you, they were more than happy to help me when I had questions?
Good luck
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