Nodular Thyroid Disease

Thyroid nodules continue to be a source of concern to patients, and their management remains a controversy among physicians. Several diagnostic techniques have been proposed to distinguish benign nodules (the majority) from malignant lesions (the minority). The trend in the management of thyroid nodular disease has been to use these diagnostic techniques with increasing frequency. The past decade has seen widespread application of fine-needle aspiration biopsy, new radionuclide scanning agents, and sensitive ultrasonography for diagnosing thyroid nodular disease. The diagnostic techniques used to distinguish benign from malignant nodules, however, vary in reliability. Furthermore, technological improvements have introduced new problems — . . .