How to Diagnose a Thyroid Cyst, Nodule or Tumor

A thyroid nodule can be several things including cysts and tumors. Most often they are benign but sometimes they can be something serious. Here's help on how to diagnose your thyroid nodule.

Things You'll Need

• Medical Insurance
• Credit Card
• Cash

Instructions

1. If your voice is hoarse or you have difficulty swallowing food, you may have a thyroid nodule. You should seek medical help immediately if you have difficulty swallowing since something may be blocking the trachea which may become life threatening.

2. Very often a thyroid nodule is found accidentally on an MRI of the neck looking for something else such as a herniated disc. Most often these findings turn out to be benign and are rarely malignant (cancer).

3. A sonogram of the thyroid gland will be performed to determine if the nodule is a cyst or a tumor. While a sonogram cannot determine if it is benign or malignant, it can be very helpful to your doctor.

4. Blood tests will be performed to determine your thyroid function.

5. A needle aspiration may need to be performed by a specialized doctor called an Endocrinologist along with a ultrasound (sonogram) to determine if the nodule is benign or malignant.