To investigate the clinical value of detection of the BRAF V600E combined with ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of indeterminate thyroid nodules in elderly patients.

A total of 60 elderly patients with thyroid nodules admitted to our hospital from October 2014 to December 2015 underwent ultrasound-guided fine needle aspirations. The samples were sent for cytology examination and detection of the BRAF V600E mutation. Diagnoses based on cytology alone and those in combination with detection of the BRAF V600E mutation were retrospectively analyzed and compared with clinical follow-up results.

The fine needle aspiration procedure was successfully performed in 95% (57/60) of the patients. Of the 57 patients, cytological diagnoses in 48 cases were consistent with the follow-up results, with an agreement rate of 84.2% (48/57). The 48 cases included 6 patients diagnosed with benign nodules and 42 patients with thyroid papillary carcinoma. The BRAF V600E mutation was found in 32 cases with thyroid papillary carcinoma, with a detection rate of 76.2%. Of the 9 cases with indeterminate thyroid nodules, 7 had the BRAF V600E mutation. In diagnoses based on the combination of fine needle aspiration biopsy with detection of the BRAF V600E mutation, 55 out of 57 cases were consistent with the follow-up results, achieving an agreement rate of 96.5%. The clinical diagnostic accuracy of the cytology procedure combined with BRAF V600E mutation detection was better than that of the cytology procedure alone (P<0.05).

Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology combined with detection of the BRAF V600E mutation can increase the clinical diagnostic accuracy for thyroid nodules and is highly valuable in the diagnosis of cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules in elderly patients.

Ultrasonography; Lymph nodes; Immunohistochemistry