Thyroid nodules are a common clinical problem, and epidemiological studies have found that thyroid nodules are clinically palpable in about 1% of men and 5% of women worldwide who live in iodine-sufficient areas; in a random sample of people, the detection rate on high-resolution ultrasonography is as high as 19% to 67%. The greatest concern for patients and the need for clinical evaluation by physicians is that approximately 5% to 15% of these thyroid nodules may be cancerous. Data from the recently published 2012 China Tumor Registry Annual Report shows that thyroid cancer has entered the high incidence range. The incidence of thyroid cancer has risen to the tenth place in the nationwide ranking of malignant tumors, and to the fourth place in urban areas. The survey data of Zhejiang Province between 2003 and 2007 showed that the incidence of thyroid cancer increased by 50%. 2009 compared with 2006, the incidence of thyroid cancer in Zhejiang Province increased from 2.22/100,000 to 5.49/100,000 in men and from 9.80/100,000 to 17.43/100,000 in women. However, in our clinical practice, on the one hand, a large number of benign thyroid nodules that do not need surgery are “over-operated”, resulting in a great waste of social medical resources; on the other hand, many patients with early thyroid cancer are missed or misdiagnosed and do not receive timely and standardized treatment. Thyroid surgery, including the indications for surgery, scope of surgery and post-operative treatment, is not uniform in China and can be said to be very diverse. For example, benign thyroid diseases such as nodular goiter should be operated or not, and how large or how many nodules should be operated. There are five major indications in the various domestic textbooks. However, I found that in clinical practice, a large number of these indications are not implemented, analysis: the second post-sternal goiter and the fourth nodular goiter secondary to hyperfunction, the guidelines are clear, there is no objection to surgery; the first due to tracheal, esophageal or laryngeal nerve compression caused by clinical symptoms of the guidelines are clear but not common in the clinic; the third huge goiter affects life and workers, the question arises, how big is How big is it? How to measure and assess whether it affects life and work? In fact, nodules with a diameter of 4 or 5 centimeters rarely affect life and work; the fifth nodular goiter is suspected to have malignant changes. In clinical practice, most of the reasons for doctors to do thyroid surgery are far-fetched towards the fifth article. In fact, there is a clear pathologic (histologic or cytologic) basis for suspected malignant nodular goiter in the United States. There is a significant gap in the availability of pathology in China, but the benignity of thyroid nodules can be generally determined by ultrasound diagnosis. The first question you need your doctor to answer after finding a nodule in your thyroid is: Is my nodule malignant? This is the time when patients and their families urgently need professional guidance from their doctors. Unfortunately, the doctor’s answer is often: I don’t know if your nodule is malignant, but only after surgery and pathology. You will then ask: Do I need surgery or observation? The answer you get is even more unsatisfactory: If you want to operate, you can operate, and if you want to observe, you can observe. Such an answer is extremely irresponsible, pushing a very specialized problem back to the lay patient. It is important for you to understand that surgery is not required for large nodules and not for small nodules. The decision to operate is based on the nodule being malignant or having a high probability of malignancy. You must also know that whether the first surgery is performed properly is extremely important for thyroid disease and is an independent prognostic factor for thyroid cancer. Doctors are working with a conscience. Is the surgery thorough, clean and standardized? Only the doctor himself knows. Patients only know how big the incision is and whether there are any complications. In fact, even if the incision is small and there are no complications, but the surgery is not standardized, such as the common “big cut and small open”, it is more harmful to the patient and directly affects the long-term results. Therefore, you must ask your primary care physician before the surgery: 1. Can I be observed for a period of time first? 2. If I have surgery, what are the surgical options available? 3. What is my surgical procedure? 4.What are the advantages and disadvantages of various surgical methods? 5.In developed countries (represented by Europe and the United States), what kind of surgery is mostly used in my case? 6.What kind of surgery is mostly used in large teaching hospitals in China for my case? 7.Why did you choose this type of surgery for me? 8.How sure are you about this type of surgery? You can’t trust the hospital or the reputation of the doctor when you see a doctor. The best hospital and the most famous doctor may not necessarily be the best for you and may not be the best in dealing with your disease. If you are not convinced by your doctor’s response, perhaps the best option is to disregard surgery for the time being and change to another hospital and doctor that you can trust. To avoid subjective errors in the judgment of a single doctor, patients in the United States often seek out several doctors for consultation (second opinion), and doctors often make recommendations.