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Solitary thyroid nodules are more common in females yet more worrisome in males. Other associations with neoplastic nodules are family history of thyroid cancer and prior radiation to the head and neck. Solitary thyroid nodules are mostly benign colloid nodules. The second most common type is follicular adenoma. [26]
An incidentally discovered colloid nodule with calcification, shown on CT scan of a 58-year-old female patient. a Non-enhanced axial CT scan of the neck demonstrates a coarse calcification at the left thyroid inferior pole. b Sagittal grey scale ultrasound of the thyroid demonstrates a heterogeneous nodule with a predominant cystic component.
Treatment of a thyroid nodule depends on many things including size of the nodule, age of the patient, the type of thyroid cancer, and whether or not it has spread to other tissues in the body. If the nodule is benign, patients may receive thyroxine therapy to suppress thyroid-stimulating hormone and should be reevaluated in six months. [2]
Follicular thyroid cancer accounts for 15% of thyroid cancer and occurs more commonly in women over 50 years of age. Thyroglobulin (Tg) can be used as a tumor marker for well-differentiated follicular thyroid cancer. Thyroid follicular cells are the thyroid cells responsible for the production and secretion of thyroid hormones.
If ultrasound results are equivocal or unclear, or if the thyroid nodule is small (typically less than 1 cm), the nodule can be monitored over time with serial ultrasounds. [10] Ultrasound has a sensitivity of 64-77% and a specificity of 82-90% for the detection of thyroid cancer. [10]
Colloid nodules may be initially identified as an unspecified kind of thyroid nodule. Follow-up examinations typically include an ultrasound if it is unclear whether or not there really is a nodule present. Once the presence of a nodule has been confirmed, the determination of the kind of thyroid nodule is done by fine needle aspiration biopsy. [7]
Papillary thyroid carcinoma is usually discovered on routine examination as an asymptomatic thyroid nodule that appears as a neck mass. In some instances, the mass may have produced local symptoms. This mass is normally referred to a fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNA) for investigation. FNA accuracy is very high and it is a process widely used ...
The laser ablation of thyroid nodules is performed in day hospital or day-surgery. The patient is placed under mild sedation (the same type of sedation used in an endoscopic examination). A local anesthetic is then applied, and one or two needles (depending on the size of the nodule) placed inside the nodule under ultrasound guidance.