Evaluation of preoperative diagnosis and surgical management of thyroid tumors

The difficulty of obtaining an accurate diagnosis in nodules of the thyroid gland without operation and histologic examination is well documented. Surgical intervention has therefore been recommended, though opinions differ concerning the indications for surgery. Experience from 276 patients operated on for thyroid gland nodules is reported in the present paper. The decision to operate was based on a standard schedule with relatively wide indications for surgery. Complete hemithyroidectomy was performed in all surgically managed cases. The accuracy of preoperative diagnosis was evaluated against the histologic findings. Experience of hemithyroidectomy as the standard procedure is also reviewed. The incidence of malignancy with this active policy was 9% in the series as a whole and 12% in solitary adenoma of the thyroid. Total thyroidectomy was routinely performed when malignancy was demonstrated; 24% of the malignancies were bilateral. Although fine-needle biopsy and clinical evaluation were entrusted only to experienced investigators, the results confirmed earlier reports that no hitherto available diagnostic procedure can adequately distinguish malignant from benign thyroid lesions without surgery. The value of scintigraphic thyroid scan in the preoperative assessment seemed to be insufficient to warrant its use. No persistent complications arose from hemithyroidectomy. Complete hemithyroidectomy is always the operation of choice in such cases since, should be histologic examination show malignancy, the requisite additional surgery will not involve a thyroid lobe with previous surgical interference.