Every year, thousands of unnecessary operations

In Germany, in the opinion of the physician Ralf Paschke surgery each year many thousands of people unnecessarily to the thyroid.
"Only a fifth of the discovered thyroid nodules should be operated at all," said the professor of the University Hospital. Is that every year about 100 000 people a surgical procedure subject to the thyroid, the majority due to a node. "The aim must be to unnecessary operations, the burden on patients and thus save millions of euros in costs. "

To this aim to get closer to meet until Wednesday in Leipzig more than 500 experts from 40 countries to the 32nd Annual Meeting of the European Thyroid Society. Topics include the prevention of iodine deficiency, and improved diagnostics. Iodine deficiency is the major cause of the so-called goiter, the enlargement of the thyroid, and the formation of nodes.



Fine-needle aspiration is certainty

Much of the disease have so far been diagnosed by ultrasound and in particular hormone investigation. "It is with the fine needle aspiration a more reliable method for distinguishing between benign and malignant nodes," says Paschke. Magnify the organ very slowly. "Often, sufferers complain only after 30 or 40 years of complaints," said the doctor. During this time, formed in most affected also node.

In fine-needle aspiration can be removed with a needle from the node single cells. "So we can in three quarters of the cases already determined before surgery, whether a node is benign or malignant. Unfortunately, this method is still used far too often ". The result: many unnecessary operations. In Leipzig, the experts will discuss the guidelines and therefore looking for ways to make this known method.

Insufficient iodine intake

According to Paschke, a third of Germans an enlarged thyroid gland. In older people there is even one in two. "Although these diseases can be prevented so simple, we take in Germany is still too little iodine to us," said Paschke. "The iodine intake, despite iodized salt and Jodsiegel not sufficient because we need to work on.