Internal medicine

Radiology

Pathology

Fine-needle aspiration

Thyroid nodules

Thyroid

Biology

Paleontology

Cytology

Biopsy

Bethesda system

Cytopathology

Nodule (geology)

Malignancy

Thyroid cancer

Asymptomatic

Medicine

The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology

Thyroid nodules are common, usually asymptomatic, and often pose minimal risk to the affected patient. However, 10–15% prove malignant and serve as the rationale for diagnostic assessment. Safely identifying and treating a relevant thyroid cancer through a cost-effective process is the primary goal of the treating practitioner. Ultrasound is the principal means of initial nodule assessment and should be performed when any thyroid nodule is suspected. Fine-needle aspiration provides further cytological determination of benign or malignant disease and is generally applied to nodules larger than 1–2 cm in diameter, on the basis of holistic risk assessment.

Diagnosis of thyroid nodules