Role of Ultrasound in the Management of Thyroid Nodules and Thyroid Cancer.

The management of thyroid nodules can be classified into narrow-and broad-sense levels. The broad-sense procedures are used for special population and include screening,risk assessment of thyroid nodules,follow-up of benign thyroid nodules,surgical operation,post-operative follow-up,and assessment and treatment of recurrence and/or metastasis of thyroid cancer. The narrow-sense procedures are for individual patients and the whole process includes the assessment,supervision,treatment,and reassessment of thyroid lesion. Ultrasound plays different roles at different management stages. With the development of ultrasonic technology and improvement of diagnostic accuracy,ultrasound has gradually becoming an irreplaceable imaging tool in the diagnosis of thyroid nodules. In this article we review the history of thyroid ultrasound and the latest international guidelines on the management of thyroid nodules and differentiated thyroid cancer by focusing on the role of ultrasound throughout the management of thyroid nodules.