With the development of the economy and the improvement of people’s living standards, health checkups are becoming an increasingly important “investment” for people’s health. After ultrasound examination of the thyroid gland, many people are worried about the thyroid nodules that are found. What should I do if I find a thyroid nodule? There are benign and malignant thyroid nodules. Benign thyroid nodules include thyroid adenoma, goiter, thyroiditis, etc. The biggest danger is that when the nodule grows gradually, it may compress the trachea and cause breathing difficulties; some benign tumors may undergo malignant transformation into cancer over time. There are also benign tumors that protrude from the surface of the neck and affect the appearance. Malignant thyroid nodules, on the other hand, are mainly thyroid cancer. Although thyroid cancer is not as malignant as lung cancer or gastric cancer, a small number of thyroid cancers can invade the trachea or esophagus, metastasize to the lungs or bones, or metastasize to extensive lymph nodes and become life-threatening. Some thyroid cancers also invade the nerves and cause hoarseness, which seriously affects the patient’s life. The incidence of thyroid cancer in Korea has increased 15 times in 15 years, and the incidence of advanced thyroid cancer with lymph node metastasis or invasion of surrounding tissues in the United States has increased 2 times in the past 10 years. In recent years, the incidence of thyroid cancer in China has also been increasing rapidly, especially among young people, which is a phenomenon worthy of attention. Ultrasound is an easy, safe and effective means to examine thyroid nodules and determine the nature of the nodules; it can measure the size of thyroid nodules, and it can reveal the common manifestations of thyroid cancer, such as unclear borders, calcification and vertical growth. The examination report of an experienced ultrasonographer is helpful in determining the nature of nodules. With the guidance of your doctor, it can be determined for you whether a thyroid nodule requires surgery. Some people think that thyroid surgery is a “minor surgery”, but it is not. The thyroid gland is highly graded in general surgery and is on the same level as stomach and intestinal cancers. This is mainly because there are many important blood vessels and nerves around the thyroid gland, and there are many tissues and structures that need to be protected, while the space for operation is small, so it is technically difficult. damage to important structures such as the tracheoesophagus. Therefore, the surgeon’s experience is crucial to the safety of thyroid surgery. Another feature of thyroid surgery is that the surgery is performed on the neck, which leaves a visible scar that many patients “mind”. Women are particularly concerned about the appearance of the neck, so how can those patients who need thyroid surgery solve the problem of neck aesthetics? One is to transfer the surgical incision to a hidden area, such as the chest or armpit, and complete the surgery under endoscopic guidance through long-handled surgical instruments, so that the surgical scar can be easily hidden by undergarments; the second is to reduce the surgical incision by halving the original surgical incision and complete the surgery through tiny instruments. The former type of surgery has the best cosmetic effect and can achieve a “scarless” neck; the latter type of surgery has a slightly worse cosmetic effect, but the surgical damage is significantly reduced, the patient has less pain and recovers quickly after surgery. Therefore, if a thyroid nodule is found during a physical examination, first of all, do not be nervous. Under the guidance of a doctor, it is important to clarify the nature of the nodule after the examination, which is also the basis for deciding the subsequent treatment. Don’t worry even if surgery is required, thyroid surgery can all be safely performed under an experienced surgeon, and you have many different surgical options to decide your treatment choice according to your cosmetic needs.