[Clinical signs and management strategies in thyroid masses].
OBJECTIVE
Patients who underwent surgery for thyroid masses were evaluated with regard to clinical symptoms, diagnostic and treatment methods, and the results of treatment.


METHODS
The study included 92 patients (72 women, 20 men; mean age 45 years; range 16 to 71 years). Clinical diagnoses were based on findings of ultrasonography, thyroid function tests, thyroid scintigraphy, and fine-needle aspiration biopsy. Operations performed were near-total thyroidectomy (n=40), hemithyroidectomy (n=25), bilateral subtotal thyroidectomy (n=16), and total thyroidectomy (n=11). Patients with carcinoma associated with neck lymph node metastasis also underwent lateral, anterolateral, modified radical, or radical neck dissections.


RESULTS
Postoperative histopathologic diagnoses were benign colloid nodule (n=70), papillary carcinoma (n=16), medullary carcinoma (n=2), anaplastic carcinoma (n=2), and Basedow-Graves disease (n=2). Unilateral vocal cord paralysis developed in 11 patients (11.9%), five of which persisted beyond one year follow-up. Two patients (2.2%) had transient hypocalcemia and one patient (1.1%) had postoperative hematoma.


CONCLUSIONS
Preoperative determination of the structure and confines of thyroid masses increases success rates of surgical procedures and minimizes complication rates.
Paksoy
Mustafa
M
Department of Otolaryngology, Dr. Lütfi Kirdar Kartal Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
Aydin
Sedat
S
Ayduran
Emin
E
Eken
Mehmet
M
Sanli
Arif
A
Taşdemir
Omer
O
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D037981:Neck Dissection; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013960:Thyroid Function Tests; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000145:classification; D014463:Ultrasonography; D055815:Young Adult