A review of the propriety of thyroid ultrasound referrals and their follow-up burden.

Purpose: The overdiagnosis of thyroid nodules and indolent thyroid cancers represents an increasing burden on health services, with thyroid ultrasound (US) imaging often representing the initial entry point into the thyroid nodule diagnostic pathway. The aim of this study was to retrospectively review thyroid US referrals to a single Irish hospital to determine if the stated indications for imaging had been appropriate, to review the results of the scans, and to assess the follow-up required in each case.

Methods: Patient demographics, scan indications, results, and outcomes were retrospectively reviewed for all patients undergoing thyroid ultrasound from 2012 to 2016.