Evaluation of solitary thyroid nodule is the most common thyroid problem; the prevalence varies according to the method of screening used. Solitary thyroid nodule can be caused by any of the thyroid diseases; the majority is benign. Lesions characterized by a follicular growth pattern constitute the most common type encountered by pathologists. The vast majority of such lesions do not pose difficulties for histopathologi-cal interpretation. A subset of these tumors, however, can represent a serious challenge for diagnosis, management & fall under the "indeterminate" category. Thyroid tumors with follicular growth pattern include a broad range of lesions that range from benign, hyperplastic nodules to
follicular adenoma and follicular carcinoma. In addition, other types of tumors with follicular growth pattern belonging to separate diagnostic categories, including the follicular variant of papillary carcinoma, atypical adenomas, HVrthle cell tumor & medullary carcinoma can be also encountered. The histologic features used for distinguishing these conditions can be sometimes subtle & subjective.
The present study was performed on 77 excision specimens of solitary thyroid nodules with predominate follicular architecture. Immunohisto-chemical stains were done for selected cases for high molecular weight cytokeratin, chromogranin A, S-100 & factor VIII.