Thyroid nodules are the most frequently encountered disorders of the endocrine system. A clinical study of 341 cases with thyroid nodules, which were treated by surgical excision and confirmed pathologically at the Department of Surgery, Chonbuk
National University Medical School, from Jan. 1986 to Dec. 1993, was conducted and the following results were obtained.
1) Overall the male: female was 1:8, in the benign cases, 1:8.1 and in malignancy it was 1:7.4.
2) The benign thyroid nodules were most commonly found in age 40~49 years(27.7%) and malignant thyroid nodules were in age 50~59 years(23.7%).
3) The most prominent symptom and sign was a palpable mass on the anterior neck.
4) The most common duration of illness was less than 3 months(37.5%).
5) The most common size of the thyroid nodules were below 2 cm(26.7%).
6) The most common site of the thyroid nodules, 160 cases (46.9%) were located in the right lobe, 115 cases(33.7%) in the left lobe, 54 cases(15.9%) on bilaterally and 12 cases(3.5%) on the isthmus.
7) Thyroid scanning revealed cold nodules in 250 cases(88.7%) of benign nodules and 52 cases(88.5%) of malignant nodules.
8) The histopathologic classification of benign disease including frequency was adenomatous goiter 56.0%, follicular adenoma 39.3%, thyroiditis 1.8%. Papillary carcinoma was the most frequent type in malignant nodules(79.7%).
9) Benign nodules were treated by unilateral lobectomy in 214 cases(75.9%), and near total thyroidectomy in 29 cases(10.3%). In malignant nodules, near total thyroidectomy with mRND was performed inn 24 cases(40.7%), and total thyroidectomy with
mRND
was carried out in 15 cases(25.4%).
10) Significant postoperative complications occured in 15 cases(4.4%) including 8 cases of permenant hypoparathyroidism, 4 cases of hematoma, 2 cases of transient hoarseness, and 1 case of unilateral vocal cord paralysis.
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