Importance of thyroid abnormalities detected at US screening: a 5-year follow-up.
OBJECTIVE
To clarify the natural history and frequency of thyroid echo abnormalities in a random adult population by performing a 5-year follow-up study of subjects of a previous thyroid ultrasonographic (US) screening study.


METHODS
In the original survey, 253 randomly selected adults were screened by means of thyroid US. US abnormalities were detected in 69 subjects (27%). In the follow-up study, 57 (83%) of those 69 subjects who had abnormalities were reexamined by means of thyroid US, fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB), blood tests, and clinical examination.


RESULTS
Of 34 individual nodules, 12 (35%) had grown. Biopsy was performed in 10 of them. Nine were benign. One was equivocal, was excised, and proved to be an adenomatous nodule. Eight nodules (24%) had diminished or disappeared. Seven new focal lesions were found in seven subjects (12%). Biopsy was performed in five of these lesions, and they were benign. At 5-year follow-up, no thyroid malignancies were detected among subjects with echo abnormalities at the primary US screening.


CONCLUSIONS
Thyroid US abnormalities occurring in a random adult population are predominantly benign and clinically unimportant.
Brander
A E
AE
Department of Radiology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland. Antti.Brander@huch.fi
Viikinkoski
V P
VP
Nickels
J I
JI
Kivisaari
L M
LM
D000328:Adult; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D011897:Random Allocation; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000097:blood; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D013963:Thyroid Hormones