[Management of thyroid microcarcinoma. Report of 13 cases]

Thyroid microcarcinoma is defined as a tumour of one centimeter or less in its greater diameter. Prognoses and therapeutic modalities remain controversial therapeutic guidelines for surgical treatment.

To analyse the anatomical and clinical characteristics and discuss the modalities of care and therapeutic indications of these microcarcinoma.

We report a retrospective study concerning 13 cases of thyroid microcarcinoma, diagnosted and treated at the ENT department of Military Hospital of Tunis from 1998 to 2007.

The mean age was 41 years and sex-ratio was 0.18. Clinical investigation by cervical ultrasonography found an isolated nodule in 30.7% and a multinodal goiter in 69.2%. Lymph node metastasis was precessiving in two cases. Five patients underwent loboisthmectomy and higt patients had a total thyroidectomy. Surgical lymph node removal was practiced for both cases with preceding cervical node involvement. Iodine 131 ablation was necessary every time when total thyroidectomy was practiced. A six years mean follow-up revealed no recurrence or death.

Thyroid microcarcinoma is favorable long-term prognosis. Therapeutic modalities are closely depending on risk factors such as histology type, tumor size, lymph node involvement and extra thyroid extension.