Surgery preferences for thyroid diseases in childhood: review of the literature due to a case experience

Abstract

The authors have yet to decide well about the requirement of thyroid surgery in childhood. There are reasons for this controversy. Some of these controversies are various diseases, differences in evaluations of the diseases, and various follow-ups. So, treatments in different institutions are most diverse. Surgeons must be precise for those who perform surgery in this age group. A 17-year-old girl whom the pediatric endocrinology department followed up for three years with a thyroid nodule diagnosis was operated on. Thyroid function tests were regular. In ultrasonography, a nodule in the left thyroid lobe was detected. The nodule had grown over the years and reached a size of 2x1.5x1.4 cm. Excision was planned when a definitive result could not be reached after three fine-needle aspiration biopsies were repeated in our hospital. Since the fine needle aspiration examinations were inconclusive, only a left lobectomy was performed. After pathology examination resulted in follicular carcinoma, right lobectomy with isthmectomy was added. As a result, a total thyroidectomy in 2-stage was performed. Because of this surgical course of the patient, it was decided to examine the surgical choices of thyroid diseases in children like Graves' disease and benign and malignant nodules. Literature was evaluated to understand if there is an algorithm for decision-making on pediatric thyroid surgery.