Cytological Features of De Quervain's Subacute Thyroiditis

Cytological picture of subacute thyroiditis: multinucleated giant cells, epithelioid histiocytes, colloid, and differential diagnosis.

Editorial team 1 min April 24, 2024

Cytological preparation of the thyroid gland: follicular cells and a giant cell

Cytological preparation: granuloma of epithelioid histiocytes in a aspirate

Cytological preparation: large multinucleated giant cell, colloid and histiocytes

Cytological preparation with different staining: giant cells with multiple nuclei

Cytological preparation of the thyroid gland at low magnification, cell clusters

Slide with description of the main cytological features of subacute thyroiditis

🔬CORRECT ANSWER to the cytology case: Morphological picture of subacute thyroiditis (De Quervain’s thyroiditis, giant cell thyroiditis, granulomatous thyroiditis).

✅In addition to follicular cells, there are histiocytes with varying numbers of lymphocytes and/or neutrophils. Poorly formed epithelioid granulomas may be present. A useful feature is the presence of large multinucleated giant cells containing numerous nuclei (sometimes these cells engulf colloid). ❗Smaller multinucleated giant cells are less specific and can be observed in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and papillary thyroid carcinoma.

‼See thyroid cytology algorithm →.

👉Source of this case: [cytoweb] - an electronic resource for practical cytopathology.