[Management of the solitary thyroid nodule; clinical evaluation].

The merits of clinical assessment in the management of isolated thyroid nodules is discussed on the basis of the data found in the literature and of a personal prospective study of malignancy criteria. This shows that no clinical feature alone is deciding. However the increased prevalence of thyroid cancer in some etiological contexts and in relation with some symptoms should lead to increased caution when interpreting the data of fine needle aspiration and monitoring subjects who have not been operated.