Clinical analysis of diagnosis and surgical treatment of 10 patients with follicular thyroid carcinoma

Objective To investigate the ultrasonographic characteristics, pathological diagnosis and surgical treatment strategy of follicular thyroid carcinoma(FTC). Methods The clinical data of 10 patients with FTC confirmed by histopathology from Jul. 2013 to Oct. 2017 in Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University were retrospectively analyzed including 3 males and 7 females with mean age of 41.5 (15 to 68) years old. The clinical data including preoperative ultrasonographic features, fine needle aspiration results, intraoperative frozen section examination and surgical treatments of these 10 patients were retrospectively analyzed. Descriptive methods were used for Statistical analysis. Results Ultrasonography was performed in all 10 patients, and frozen section examination was performed in 6 patients, of which, 5 were considered capsular invasion. Ipsilateral central-compartment neck dissection was performed in 2 patients, no node metastasis was found. Reoperation were performed in 5 patients with total or near total thyroidectomy. No severe complications such as persistent hypoparathyroidism and recurrent laryngeal nerve injury occurred in all 10 patients. The median follow-up time was 34.4 months, and no one died during the follow-up period. Conclusions Preoperative diagnosis of FTC is difficult. The reoperation rate is higher than that of papillary thyroid carcinoma. Lobectomy plus isthmusectomy should be the initial surgical procedure for follicular tumors, while neck dissection is not recommended. Key words: Thyroid neoplasms; Thyroidectomy; Biopsy, fine-needle; Reoperation