title: Ultrasonography: Its role in nodular thyroid disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective was to correlate the number, size and extent of the nodules as determined during the preoperative clinical examination of the thyroid gland, USG, intra-operative examination and histopathology. Also, FNAC (with or without USG guidance) and USG findings suggestive of malignancy were correlated with the final histopathology.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary referral centre
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective chart review was done for 106 patients who underwent surgery for benign or malignant nodular thyroid disease in our center, between Jan 2004-Dec 2006.
  
  
  RESULTS
  USG has 7 times higher predictive value than clinical examination in detecting number of nodules and determining size of nodules. USG guided FNAC has a sensitivity of 85.71% and specificity of 90.0% in detecting malignancy in nodular thyroid disease. However for predicting malignancy in thryoid nodules, this study shows that USG has a sensitivity of 20.0% and specificity of 97.67%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with nodular thyroid disease, USG can accurately determine the number and the size of the nodules. It is extremely useful in guiding FNAC; However its role in predicting malignancy is doubtful. We therefore recommend that USG guided FNAC be carried out as a routine in the evaluation of thyroid nodules.
authors.affiliation: Dept of ORL-HNS, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, 411 040 India  ; Dept of ENT-HNS, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, 411 040 India.
authors.forename: Ajith
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nilakantan
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Venkatesh
authors.forename: Dilip
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Raghavan
authors.forename: Rakesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Datta
authors.forename: Vijay
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sharma
keywords: Guided FNAC; Nodular thyroid disease; Ultrasonography