[Benign thyroid nodule: what is the treatment? Personal experience]

Solitary thyroid nodule is an important pathology with an incidence of 2-5% in the Italian population. The diagnosis was based on clinical exam, laboratory tests and ultrasonographic evaluation.

The study undertook has the purpose to assess the usefulness between lobe-isthmusectomy (with corresponding risk of possible relapse and complications for reintervention) and total thyroidectomy (with corresponding post-surgical treatment complications), for benign thyroid disease with solitary nodule, on selected cases for disease and corresponding risk factors, in the retrospective clinical study, using laboratory tests and ultrasonographic evaluation. The study was conducted on 80 patients admitted from 1994 to 2000 with diagnosis of benign thyroid nodule and operated with lobe-isthmusectomy. In seven patients the operation had to be converted in total thyroidectomy.

Operative mortality was nil and long-term results at a mean follow-up of three years are encouraging.

The main advantages of lobe-isthmusectomy for benign solitary thyroid nodule consist in less postoperative complications and less hospital stay.

Therefore our experience has carried us to consider the lobectomy which treatment of choice for all those benign thyroid diseases with solitary nodule.