Combined Sonography: Surgery Clinic for Patients Referred With Thyroid Nodules

We report the results of a joint thyroid clinic with a consultant surgeon and consultant radiologist to offer "triple assessment" for patients on a single visit. All new referrals from September 2011 to December 2013 were reviewed. Among 228 patients referred, 163 patients underwent ultrasonography (US) on the same visit and 66 fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) studies (57 under US guidance) were done. One hundred ninety-eight (87%) patients made a single visit to the clinic for diagnosis. One hundred twenty-five were discharged or referred elsewhere after the visit and 21 underwent surgery; the remaining 52 patients were followed up. There were 7 thyroid cancers and 2 lymphomas diagnosed. We have concluded that the joint ultrasound-surgery clinic provided an effective outpatient thyroid service with fewer hospital visits.
Source: Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Original Research Source Type: research