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M J Flaherty

Publications and source records attributed to M J Flaherty.

62 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Papillary thyroid carcinoma mistaken for malignant melanoma: pitfalls in diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: Immunohistochemical methods and aspiration cytology are used with increasing frequency in the diagnosis of head and neck histopathology. Magnetic resonance imaging is also gaining popularity as a diagnostic tool. METHODS: We report a case of papillary thyroid carcinoma which was initially misdiagnosed as malignant melanoma due to several confounding diagnostic test results. RESULTS: False-positive immunostaining of a cytologic preparation with a commercial preparation of HMB45 melanoma stain and characteristic MRI findings contributed to the erroneous diagnosis of malignant melanoma. CONCLUSIONS: Potential pitfalls in test interpretation are discussed, and recommendations for the judicious use of immunostaining, MRI, and other diagnostic studies are presented.

Adolescent↗