Expert Diagnosis of Thyroid Conditions

NYU Langone Thyroid Program doctors specialize in diagnosing a full array of thyroid conditions. Diagnosing thyroid disease may sometimes be delayed because symptoms can be vague. They range from weight gain to weight loss and from fatigue to sleeplessness. Others still—especially people with thyroid nodules or cancers—have no symptoms at all.

Despite these challenges, our specialists provide an accurate and timely diagnosis of thyroid conditions so that your treatment can start as soon as possible.

Thyroid Imaging

Neck ultrasound, or the use of sound waves to create images of the neck, is the most useful tool for evaluating and diagnosing thyroid nodules and most thyroid cancers. Our doctors are experts in performing and reading this crucial type of scan.

Thyroid cancer may require sophisticated tests such as lymph node mapping to help us determine which lymph nodes, if any, cancer cells may have spread to.

Our team also may also use radionuclide scans, such as a PET scan or radioactive iodine scan, to diagnose thyroid disease and cancer. These tests use a small amount of radioactive material to detect abnormal activity in the thyroid gland or to determine whether the cancer has spread to other areas of the body.

These, along with other advanced nuclear imaging tests, are used to determine the best treatment course for you.

Advanced Molecular Testing

If imaging does not clearly show that a nodule is benign, patients may benefit from a fine-needle aspiration, in which thyroid cells are removed with a tiny needle attached to a syringe. Our pathologists examine the cells under a microscope to determine whether any are cancerous. Advanced molecular tests that examine genetic material in thyroid nodules cells may be required to determine whether the nodule is more likely to be cancerous or benign.

Based on these results, our experts may recommend watchful waiting, a minimally invasive procedure, or thyroid surgery.

In rare cases of advanced or metastatic thyroid cancer, we collaborate closely with experts at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, where you can access clinical trials and advanced targeted therapies.