Thyroid nodules are relatively common, and become more common as we get older. Most of the thyroid nodules are benign, but some of them can be cancerous, and need further evaluation and treatment. Read more below about why you should see a thyroid specialist endocrinologist for the thyroid nodule.
The advantages of seeing a thyroid specialist endocrinologist for your thyroid nodule care are several. Some of these are the following:
Complete evaluation with history, physical exam, ordering of lab tests, thyroid ultrasound by an ECNU certified ultrasonographer, and planning for FNA (if indicated), all in 1 place!
Ultrasound evaluation by a doctor with extensive experience in ultrasound of the neck, including the thyroid gland and the anterior neck lymph nodes, with interpretation of findings in real time, so that you can move forward with the treatment plan immediately.
If you need Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) biopsy, a doctor specialized in the thyroid can do this under ultrasound guidance in the office. The more experienced the doctor, the better results you can expect from the biopsy, such as:
Less pain.
Less time to get the biopsy done.
Exceedingly low chance of complications.
Lower likelihood of getting indeterminate cytology result.
Lower likelihood of non-diagnositc sample. Non-diagnostic samples do not contain enough cells to be able to be interpreted adequately to have a clear result, so FNA has to be repeated many times in those cases. Our non-diagnostic rate is less that 3%!
Use of molecular testing for additional risk stratification of cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules. These indeterminate nodules may have a risk of malignancy of ~15-30%. We use specialized labs to analyze the molecular profile of those indeterminate nodules, in order to identify which of these nodules are more likely to be benign, and which are more suspicious for malignancy. That way, many patients with cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules can avoid surgery, if the molecular test shows a benign result!
If the FNA biopsy shows thyroid cancer, or if the cytology is suspicious for thyroid cancer, then a specialized thyroidologist can perform accurate sonographic lymph node mapping of the lymph nodes of the neck, so that you can be certain that your surgery will be planned adequately, in order to minimize the chance of having to go back for surgery in the future. Dr. Segkos has performed thousands of lymph node mapping ultrasounds.
If the thyroid nodule is benign, then you will know that you have appropriate observation.
If the thyroid nodule is benign, but is causing compressive symptoms (such as difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing, voice changes, etc), or it is bothering you because it is visible, then you will have the opportunity to benefit from Thyroid Radiofrequency Ablation by an experienced operator. Dr. Segkos has performed this procedure on many patients, with excellent results and without serious complications, and has helped a lot of patients avoid thyroid surgery!
Dr. Segkos has ECNU (Endocrine Certification in Neck Ultrasound) certification by AACE/ACE/AIUM. This certification proves his excellent skills in endocrine ultrasound of the thyroid, parathyroids, and neck, and in FNA of those tissues. He has performed thousands of neck ultrasounds, and has helped countless patients to avoid unnecessary biopsies and surgeries. For patients for whom surgery is indicated, he has frequently helped adjust and optimize surgical planning, by employing accurate description of thyroid nodules and by having excellent results in lymph node mapping of the neck for lymph nodes with thyroid cancer metastases that were not previously identified.
