Prevalence of Thyroid Nodules detected by Ultrasonography in Womens Attending Health Check-Ups / 대한내분비학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Thyroid nodules are commonly found in clinical practice, and the recent development of thyroid ultrasonography has allowed for the detection of small nodules previously undetectable by routine palpations. Since previous studies on thyroid ultrasonography have been focused on patients with known thyroid disorders, we aimed to determine the prevalence of thyroid nodules in a female population. METHODS: We studied women in the age range 30 to 70 years visiting the health promotion center at Samsung Cheil Hospital for routine health check-ups. After excluding patients with previous thyroid disorders, 1300 women where selected to undergo thyroid ultrasonography for the detection of the presence of thyroid nodules. If nodules were found, their size and numbers were recorded, and these data correlated with the patients age. RESULTS: Of the 1300 subjects, thyroid nodules were detected in 490 (37.7%) with their prevalence (p=0.009), and that of multinodularity of thyroid nodules (p=0.001), increasing with the increasing age of the patients (Age 30 to 39 30.8%, 40 to 49 37.0%, 50 to 59 41.5% and 60 to 69 65.2%). Among these study subjects, nodules larger than 15 mm in size were detected in 29 and after performing fine needle aspirations on 18 nodules, 17 were found to be benign, with 1 papillary carcinoma, which required a total thyroidectomy. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of thyroid nodules in our female study population was 37.7%, with their prevalence, and that of multinodularity of thyroid nodules, increasing with increased age.