Recurrence of Thyroid Nodules after Surgical Removal in Patients Irradiated in Childhood

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Abstract
To the Editor: In an analysis of their data on recurrence of thyroid nodules after surgery in patients irradiated for benign conditions, Fogelfeld et al. (March 30 issue)1 report that 19.5 percent of the patients had a recurrence during a median follow-up of 11.2 years. Furthermore, the extent of surgery performed initially correlated inversely with the recurrence rate. On the basis of our experience in 1400 patients, we have also advocated near-total thyroidectomy for any patient who has received radiation in infancy or childhood.2 , 3 We observed that carcinoma was multifocal in 36 percent of the patients, it could occur at . . .