title: Managing incidental thyroid nodules detected on imaging: white paper of the ACR Incidental Thyroid Findings Committee.
abstract: The incidental thyroid nodule (ITN) is one of the most common incidental findings on imaging studies that include the neck. An ITN is defined as a nodule not previously detected or suspected clinically, but identified by an imaging study. The workup of ITNs has led to increased costs from additional procedures, and in some cases, to increased risk to the patient because physicians are naturally concerned about the risk of malignancy and a delayed cancer diagnosis. However, the majority of ITNs are benign, and small, incidental thyroid malignancies typically have indolent behavior. The ACR formed the Incidental Thyroid Findings Committee to derive a practical approach to managing ITNs on CT, MRI, nuclear medicine, and ultrasound studies. This white paper describes consensus recommendations representing this committee's review of the literature and their practice experience.
authors.affiliation: Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina. Electronic address: jennykh@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jenny K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Hoang
authors.affiliation: The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Jill E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Langer
authors.affiliation: Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
authors.forename: William D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Middleton
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Carol C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Hammers Healthcare Imaging, LLC, and Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.
authors.forename: Lynwood W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Hammers
authors.affiliation: Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Cronan
authors.affiliation: University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
authors.forename: Franklin N
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Tessler
authors.affiliation: Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Edward G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.affiliation: University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
authors.forename: Lincoln L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Berland
mesh_terms: D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000592:standards*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000592:standards; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011871:Radiology / Q000592:standards*; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000592:standards
keywords: Incidental findings; imaging; incidentaloma; thyroid cancer; thyroid nodule