Thyroid : official journal of the American Thyroid Association
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Traditionally, repetition of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is indicated for thyroid nodules with initially benign cytology if they exhibit growth. The importance of a repetition has also been demonstrated in the case of suspicious ultrasonography (US) findings. Some authors even consider routine repetition of FNA. The objective of this study was to evaluate the best criterion for FNA repetition in thyroid nodules with initially benign cytology. ⋯ Ultrasonographic features of the nodule are the best parameter for the indication of FNA repetition in nodules with initially benign cytology, while the growth of nodules with unsuspicious US findings has a poor positive predictive value for malignancy.
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Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC)-related diarrhea can be debilitating, reduces quality of life (QOL), and may be the only indication for initiating systemic therapy. Conventional antidiarrheal drugs are not always helpful and may have side effects. Calcium aluminosilicate antidiarrheal (CASAD), a natural calcium montmorrilonite clay, safely adsorbs toxins and inflammatory proteins associated with diarrhea. It was hypothesized that CASAD would reduce the severity of diarrhea and improve QOL in MTC patients. ⋯ CASAD is a promising strategy for treatment of MTC-related diarrhea. In this small pilot study, improvements in frequency and quality of diarrhea as well as QOL were noted. Further studies in this population are warranted.
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Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare database, a substantial increase was found in the use of positron emission tomography (PET) scans after 2004 in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients. The reason for the increased utilization of the PET scan was not clear based on available the data. Therefore, the indications for and outcomes of PET scans performed at an academic institution were evaluated. ⋯ In this academic medical center, the PET scan was utilized in 19% of patients. Indications for the PET scan included conventional indications, such as elevated thyroglobulin with noniodine avid disease, and more controversial uses, such as evaluation of extent of disease or abnormalities on other imaging tests. PET scan results changed management in about 30% of cases.
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Permanent hypoparathyroidism after total thyroidectomy is a rare but potentially serious iatrogenic complication. The aim of this study was to investigate the rate of recovery from postoperative, permanent hypoparathyroidism in patients undergoing thyroidectomy without parathyroid autotransplantation. ⋯ Although recovery from permanent hypoparathyroidism is rare, patients should be monitored for serum PTH levels so that unnecessary treatments such as calcium and vitamin D supplementation can be avoided.
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Aggressive histopathologic subtypes of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) are fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-avid tumors and are at high risk for persistent/recurrent disease. In these patients, fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) is performed in cases of suspicion of recurrence based on thyroglobulin (Tg) levels or thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb). The goals of this study were to evaluate the sensitivity of systematic postoperative FDG-PET/CT and to identify risk factors for abnormal FDG-PET/CT. ⋯ Postoperative FDG-PET/CT should be performed routinely in patients with aggressive histology DTC.