Discharge Instructions for Fine-Needle Thyroid Biopsy

You had a procedure called fine-needle thyroid biopsy. This biopsy was done to assess a nodule or cyst in your thyroid gland or enlargement of the thyroid. During the biopsy, a very thin needle is inserted through the skin into the gland. The needle is used to remove a small amount of tissue from the gland. (This may be done more than 1 time to be sure to get cells from all parts of the nodule.) Or the needle is used to drain fluid from a cyst. The tissue or fluid is then studied in a lab.