Thyroid imaging in lymphocytic thyroiditis

The thyroid radionuclide images of 51 adult patients with a histological diagnosis of either Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) or chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (CLT) were reviewed. The findings were variable but similar in the two groups, the most common being a multinodular pattern and the presence of hypofunctional nodules. Thyroid carcinoma was found in 2 of 41 patients with CLT and in 4 of 10 with HT. In a patient with clinical or laboratory evidence of HT and the radionuclide image finding of a cold nodule, thyroid carcinoma should be excluded by surgical biopsy.