Thyroid and salivary gland are amongst the most common sites subjected to fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) due to easy accessibility of these sites along with high diagnostic accuracy of FNAC. The performance of FNAC can be increased with the use of ultrasonographic guidance and rapid on-site evaluation. Cell block along with immunochemistry and other ancillary techniques further helps in clinching the correct diagnosis in certain diagnostically challenging cases. Core needle biopsy (CNB) is proposed to have a better diagnostic accuracy in certain situations. However, CNB has no definite role as an upfront first-line diagnostic technique for thyroid or salivary gland lesions. We describe role of FNAC and CNB in thyroid and salivary gland lesions with detailed discussion of advantages and disadvantages of both these techniques.
Keywords: Core needle biopsy; Fine needle aspiration cytology; Salivary gland; Thyroid.