Determinants of outcome in sporadic nontoxic goiter.

The author points out that natural history of sporadic nontoxic goiter (SNG) is characterized by increasing thyroid volume, nodularity and autonomy of function leading to hyperthyroidism in 13-16% of the patients after a medium follow-up of circa 12 years. Successively, the author reports and discusses the effectiveness and the outcome of the therapeutical modalities used for SNG: thyroidectomy, thyroid hormones and radioactive iodine.