thyroid nodules biopsy

[smilie106]

I recently had an ultrasound that showed I had nodules on my thyroid one of which is larger than 3mm.I was told that I had to have it biopsied.I went through the biopsy once and they did 3 needles,however,they did not get enough cells and the lab results came back inconclusive.I am scared to have this done again because of how much pain I went through the first time and them not being able to get a large enough sample to test.I did recieve a litacane(sp?) shot which was suppose to numb the area,but I still felt the entire procedure.Is there anything else that i can request?Is there any other way to do the procedure?I was told that all they could do is monitor it by ultrasound but that still will not reveal if it is cancerous,If the nodule continues to grow..will they have to biopsy it anyway?I appreciate any help I get..Thank you in advance!

[smilie106]

Yes i did mean 3cm...Should it be repeated promptly?and also,once the results come back,if it is not cancerous do they still need to redo the biopsy later on down the road?

[Mark Lupo, M.D.]

did you mean larger than 3 cm (not mm) ??  if so, a repeat FNA is necessary
The FNA procedure is very much user dependent - I typically do not need to use local anesthesia as the needles we use are very small (27 gauge).
Usually we wait 3 months after a non-satisfactory FNA then attempt repeat.