Thyroid Biopsy

Tell your doctor if you:

• Take any medicines regularly. Be sure your doctor knows the names and doses of all your medicines.
• Are allergic to any medicines, including Reference anesthetics Opens New Window.
• Have had bleeding problems or take blood-thinners, such as aspirin or warfarin (Coumadin, for example).

Before having a thyroid biopsy, you may need to have blood tests to see whether you have any bleeding problems or blood-clotting disorders.

To prepare for a thyroid biopsy:

• You do not need to do anything before a needle biopsy. You will be awake during the biopsy.
• Do not eat or drink anything for 10 hours before an open biopsy. You will get Reference general anesthesia Opens New Window and be asleep during the biopsy. If you take medicines every day, ask your doctor whether you can take these medicines on the day of the biopsy. You can eat your normal diet after the biopsy.

Just before the test, you will remove your dentures (if you wear them) and all jewelry or metal objects from around your neck and upper body.

Before having a thyroid biopsy, you need to sign a consent form that says you understand the risks of the thyroid biopsy and agree to have the test done. Talk to your doctor about any concerns you have regarding the need for the test, its risks, how it will be done, or what the results will mean. To help you understand the importance of this test, fill out the medical test information form (What is a Reference PDF Opens New Window document?).

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