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vCT scanning may adversely influence choice of surgery in paediatric papillary thyroid carcinoma - a note of caution
Abstract
Papillary thyroid carcinoma may be multifocal in up to 50% of affected children. Surgeons must weigh the higher risks of recurrence when surgical resection is less than subtotal thyroidectomy against the higher risks of complications with subtotal/total thyroidectomy. An 11-year-old girl presented to our surgical department with a thyroid mass. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a lesion, missed by ultrasonography, which
reversed the decision to perform conservative thyroid surgery. The lesion proved to be non-neoplastic. CT may be a useful adjunct when ultrasound demonstrates a solitary lesion and
conservative surgery is considered, and may prove to be able to distinguish neoplastic from non-neoplastic lesions based on contrast enhancement characteristics, but caution is
advised in assuming that all nodules are neoplastic.
South African Journal of Radiology Vol. 9 (2) 2005: pp. 14-15