Pinchera Aldo
Department of Endocrinology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
Horm Res. 2007;68 Suppl 5:199-201. doi: 10.1159/000110625. Epub 2007 Dec 10.
The prevalence of thyroid nodules in the general population varies according to the method of detection in use. In large population studies, about 5% of subjects have palpable thyroid nodules, while autopsy studies reveal a 49-57% prevalence of thyroid nodules that were asymptomatic during life, and thyroid ultrasonography (US) shows a 13-50% prevalence in the general population. The increased sensitivity of many imaging modalities has led, in turn, to increased detection of subclinical thyroid nodules and of small, nonpalpable incidentalomas, and a diagnostic approach to patients with these nodules is briefly summarized.
Despite the high prevalence of thyroid nodules discovered by US, clinically relevant thyroid malignancy remains rare and can be managed conservatively in most cases.
普通人群中甲状腺结节的患病率因所采用的检测方法而异。在大型人群研究中，约5%的受试者可触及甲状腺结节，而尸检研究显示，生前无症状的甲状腺结节患病率为49% - 57%，甲状腺超声（US）显示普通人群中的患病率为13% - 50%。多种成像方式敏感性的提高反过来导致亚临床甲状腺结节和小的、不可触及的偶发瘤的检出增加，本文简要总结了针对这些结节患者的诊断方法。
尽管超声发现甲状腺结节的患病率很高，但临床上相关的甲状腺恶性肿瘤仍然罕见，且在大多数情况下可进行保守治疗。
