1. Italian Guidelines for the Management of Non-Functioning Benign and Locally Symptomatic Thyroid Nodules
- Author
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Roberto Attanasio, Enrico Papini, Anna Crescenzi, Annamaria D'Amore, Maurilio Deandrea, Anna De Benedictis, Andrea Frasoldati, Roberto Garberoglio, Rinaldo Guglielmi, Celestino Pio Lombardi, Giovanni Mauri, Rosa Elisa Miceli, Soraya Puglisi, Teresa Rago, Domenico Salvatore, Vincenzo Triggiani, Dominique Van Doorne, Zuzana Mitrova, Rosella Saulle, Simona Vecchi, Michele Basile, Alessandro Scoppola, Agostino Paoletta, Agnese Persichetti, Irene Samperi, Renato Cozzi, Franco Grimaldi, Marco Boniardi, Angelo Camaioni, Rossella Elisei, Edoardo Guastamacchia, Giulio Nati, Tommaso Novo, Massimo Salvatori, Stefano Spiezia, Gianfranco Vallone, and Michele Zini
- Subjects
Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism ,Immunology and Allergy - Abstract
Aim: This guideline (GL) is aimed at providing a reference for the management of non-functioning, benign thyroid nodules causing local symptoms in adults outside of pregnancy. Methods: This GL has been developed following the methods described in the Manual of the National Guideline System. For each question, the panel appointed by Associazione Medici Endocrinology(AME) identified potentially relevant outcomes, which were then rated for their impact on therapeutic choices. Only outcomes classified as “critical” and “important” were considered in the systematic review of evidence and only those classified as “critical” were considered in the formulation of recommendations. Results: The present GL contains recommendations about the respective roles of surgery and minimally invasive treatments for the management of benign symptomatic thyroid nodules. We suggest hemithyroidectomy plus isthmectomy as the first-choice surgical treatment, provided that clinically significant disease is not present in the contralateral thyroid lobe. Total thyroidectomy should be considered for patients with clinically significant disease in the contralateral thyroid lobe. We suggest considering thermo-ablation as an alternative option to surgery for patients with a symptomatic, solid, benign, single, or dominant thyroid nodule. These recommendations apply to outpatients, either in primary care or when referred to specialists. Conclusion: The present GL is directed to endocrinologists, surgeons, and interventional radiologists working in hospitals, in territorial services, or private practice, general practitioners, and patients. The available data suggest that the implementation of this GL recommendations will result in the progressive reduction of surgical procedures for benign thyroid nodular disease, with a decreased number of admissions to surgical departments for non-malignant conditions and more rapid access to patients with thyroid cancer. Importantly, a reduction of indirect costs due to long-term replacement therapy and the management of surgical complications may also be speculated.
- Published
- 2023