Common Thyroid Disorders
Goiter: Simple and Multinodular
Goiter: Simple and Multinodular – this refers to an enlarged thyroid gland with or without nodules within the gland. The enlarged gland may be seen as a mass in the lower neck. It may or may not be associated with dysfunction of the thyroid gland.
Some patients will notice difficulty swallowing or breathing as a result of the enlarging gland, but many will not have any symptoms at all. The nodules that may occur within the gland are assessed in a similar fashion to the discussion above (Thyroid Nodules). Some Goiters are quite large and some extend below the sternum into the upper chest (mediastinum). Fortunately, most can still be removed from an incision in the neck only (when surgery is necessary).
Assessment includes a clinical examination by a thyroid surgical specialist, thyroid blood tests, ultrasound, with or without a needle biopsy, thyroid scan, and occasionally a CAT scan or MRI.
Decisions regarding the need for surgery are then discussed in detail, and certainly not all patients require surgical intervention.
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