ULTRASOUND OF THE COLD THYROID NODULE

110 patients with thyroid nodules were examined by ultrasound during the period from April 1981 to June 1983. All patients had thyroid isotope scans which showed cold nodules. Subsequent surgery was performed in each case and histology of the lesions identified. Prior to the introduction of ultrasound the only useful preoperative diagnosis was made by thyroid scintiscanning. The present study was done primarily to determine the nature of the nodules. Miskin and Rosens concluded that ultrasound was undoubtedly the most useful examination to distinguish solid from cystic thyroid nodules. A further attempt of this study was to determine the incidence of malignancy in the solid lesions. Damascelli et al.,3 suggested that ultrasound could be useful in distinguishing benign from malignant lesions, although Thij s4 found it difficult on ultrasound alone to differentiate benign from malignant solid nodules.