BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The finding of a thyroid nodule is a very common occurrence in clinical practice. Management of thyroid nodules requires a multidisciplinary approach that may be eased by a high-resolution thyroid nodule clinic. We report our clinical experience and outcomes in a high-resolution thyroid nodule clinic. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients referred to Virgen de la Victoria Hospital (Málaga) from 2005 to 2007 were evaluated following thyroid nodule guidelines. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. RESULTS: In the study period, 658 patients (mean age 48.6 years, 89.8% females) were seen at the thyroid nodule clinic. Thyroid nodules were discovered in 85.5% of patients. Mean nodule diameter was 1.96 cm. Of these nodules, 74.2% were solid, 55.8% hypoechogenic, and 4.7% showed microcalcifications. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) was performed in 475 patients (76.5% of all cytological samples were benign, 19.1% had suspected malignancy, 2.1% were malignant, and 2.3% inadequate). Referral for surgery was required in 23.3% of patients (mainly because of nodule size or suspected malignancy). Malignancy was confirmed in 24.9% of nodules. Sensitivity and specificity of cytology (considering biopsy as gold standard) were 81.8% and 94.7% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a high-resolution thyroid nodule clinic decreases delay in diagnosis and optimizes available resources, thus providing for satisfactory clinical outcomes.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The finding of a thyroid nodule is a very common occurrence in clinical practice. Management of thyroid nodules requires a multidisciplinary approach that may be eased by a high-resolution thyroid nodule clinic. We report our clinical experience and outcomes in a high-resolution thyroid nodule clinic. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients referred to Virgen de la Victoria Hospital (Málaga) from 2005 to 2007 were evaluated following thyroid nodule guidelines. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. RESULTS: In the study period, 658 patients (mean age 48.6 years, 89.8% females) were seen at the thyroid nodule clinic. Thyroid nodules were discovered in 85.5% of patients. Mean nodule diameter was 1.96 cm. Of these nodules, 74.2% were solid, 55.8% hypoechogenic, and 4.7% showed microcalcifications. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) was performed in 475 patients (76.5% of all cytological samples were benign, 19.1% had suspected malignancy, 2.1% were malignant, and 2.3% inadequate). Referral for surgery was required in 23.3% of patients (mainly because of nodule size or suspected malignancy). Malignancy was confirmed in 24.9% of nodules. Sensitivity and specificity of cytology (considering biopsy as gold standard) were 81.8% and 94.7% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a high-resolution thyroid nodule clinic decreases delay in diagnosis and optimizes available resources, thus providing for satisfactory clinical outcomes.
Authors: Naykky Singh Ospina; Juan P Brito; Spyridoula Maraka; Ana E Espinosa de Ycaza; Rene Rodriguez-Gutierrez; Michael R Gionfriddo; Ana Castaneda-Guarderas; Khalid Benkhadra; Alaa Al Nofal; Patricia Erwin; John C Morris; M Regina Castro; Victor M Montori Journal: Endocrine Date: 2016-04-12 Impact factor: 3.633