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Thyroid incidentalomas: to treat or not to treat

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Abstract

Incidental lesions of the thyroid gland are an increasing problem facing clinicians. While asymptomatic palpable lesions are detected in only 4–7% of the population, currently available imaging modalities are sensitive enough to detect lesions in 20–30% of the population. Guidelines for managing these incidentalomas are limited, largely due to lack of well-powered prospective studies. This review will address the currently available data on thyroid incidentalomas, detected through clinical examination, cross-sectional imaging, ultrasound, and PET scans. We will focus on the modalities of detection and risk of malignancy, further investigation and management options and the deficiencies therein. We propose a pragmatic algorithm when faced with this clinical dilemma under differing circumstances.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Head and Neck Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

    N. G. Iyer & Ashok R. Shaha

  2. Departments of Surgery and Otolaryngology-Head Neck Surgey, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA

    Carl E. Silver

  3. Department of Pathology, Allegiance Health, Jackson, MI, USA

    Kenneth O. Devaney

  4. Department of Surgical Sciences, ENT Clinic, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Udine, Piazzale S. Maria della Misericordia, 33100, Udine, Italy

    Alessandra Rinaldo & Alfio Ferlito

  5. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, PA, USA

    Phillip K. Pellitteri

Authors
  1. N. G. Iyer
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  2. Ashok R. Shaha
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  3. Carl E. Silver
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  4. Kenneth O. Devaney
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  5. Alessandra Rinaldo
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  6. Phillip K. Pellitteri
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  7. Alfio Ferlito
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alfio Ferlito.

Additional information

This paper was written by members and invitees of the International Head and Neck Scientific Group (http://www.IHNSG.com).

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Iyer, N.G., Shaha, A.R., Silver, C.E. et al. Thyroid incidentalomas: to treat or not to treat. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 267, 1019–1026 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-010-1207-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-010-1207-1

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