[Treatment of patients with nodular goiter]

The authors discovered nodular patterns in the thyroid gland of 18.8% of persons among many thousands subjected to periodical medical examination. The high detection rate of nodular patterns in the thyroid corresponds completely to the findings of post-mortem examinations. The number of nonpalpable nodules detected by the ultrasonic method exceeds the number of those palpated (55.2% and 44.8%, respectively). Ultrasonic examination with thin-needle aspiration biopsy followed by cytologic examination is the most informative method by which new malignant growths are identified. Patients with nonpalpable patterns measuring less than 1 cm in diameter which are revealed by ultrasound must be kept under active dynamic observation if there are no signs of malignancy. Patients with larger patterns and suspected cancer must be treated by operation.