EC Paediatrics

Introduction: The thyroid nodule is a focal lesion located within the thyroid gland whose characteristics and consistency differ from the rest of the glandular parenchyma. Thyroid nodules tend to be less frequent in pediatrics (0.05 - 5.1% prevalence), however, it has been shown that the percentage of malignancy is higher in children than in adults, with a percentage of 10 - 50% compared to adults with 5 - 10% malignancy.

Methods: This study was a qualitative, retrospective observational study conducted at the Hospital para El Niño Poblano, Puebla, México from December 2020 to December 2023. The study included pediatric patients aged 1 to 17 with thyroid nodules who met the inclusion criteria and underwent ultrasound and biopsy.

Results and Discussion: This study examined 22 patients who underwent percutaneous biopsy; 5 were excluded due to missing histopathological reports. The sample, aged 1 to 20 years, is smaller than other studies. At HNP, more cases were observed in females, similar to previous research. Nodule location in the right lobe was predominant, aligning with other studies. Ultrasound characteristics differed slightly from previous findings, with a higher proportion of hyperechoic cases. Benign cases were predominant, consistent with other studies reporting mostly benign cases, primarily papillary carcinoma. Malignancy was associated with specific ultrasound findings, although only two cases exhibited these characteristics.

Conclusion: Its ability to distinguish between benign and malignant lesions is still controversial, as despite providing information on the morphology and characteristics of the nodule, a definitive relationship between these findings and prognosis has not been established.

 Keywords: Ultrasound; Nodule; Thyroid; Histology; Pediatric

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