Guidelines for Thyroid Nodule Evaluation

With high-profile cases, such as the death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist in 2005 and recent reports demonstrating increases in thyroid cancer, thyroid nodules are gaining significance in the minds of many physicians.(1,2) Palpable thyroid nodules are estimated to occur in 5% of women and 1% of men in parts of the world with adequate iodine intake, although the overall incidence may be as high as 7%.(3-5) Further, high-resolution ultrasound and autopsy studies demonstrate nodules in as many as 67% of individuals.(6,7)