A prospective controlled study of high-resolution thyroid ultrasound in patients with globus pharyngeus.

The sensation of a lump in the throat may be the presenting symptom of thyroid enlargement, but the majority of thyroid abnormalities are undetectable by clinical examination. The thyroids of 43 patients with globus pharyngeus and 33 controls were prospectively examined by high-resolution ultrasound, to test the hypothesis that a higher incidence of impalpable thyroid abnormalities exists in patients with globus pharyngeus than in the normal population. Abnormalities were present in 31/43 (72%) patients with globus and in 11/33 (33%) controls (P < 0.001). Of the patients with globus, 17 had solitary nodules or cysts, 10 had multiple abnormalities and diffuse abnormality was present in four patients. Solitary nodules ranged from 4 to 29 mm. Impalpable, ultrasound-detectable abnormalities are significantly more common in patients with globus pharyngeus than in controls. Abnormalities of the thyroid gland may be responsible for globus symptoms.