Solitary thyroid nodule.

The pathological conditions responsible for a truly solitary thyroid nodule are discussed and a policy of management is outlined for a patient who presents with a clinically solitary nodule. Sophisticated methods of investigation and treatment, while often helpful, are not essential. Scanning is not a highly accurate diagnostic tool, and the solitary nodule can be treated effectively without frozen section or isotopes. The incidence of unsuspected carcinoma in a solitary nodule in a euthyroid patient is high enough to justify exploration in all cases in which the patient is fit for surgery.