THYROID NODULES are a common clinical problem. Epidemiologic studies have shownthe prevalence of palpable thyroid nodules to be approximately 5% in women and 1% in menliving in iodine-sufficient parts of the world (1;2). In contrast, high-resolution ultrasound (US)can detect thyroid nodules in 19–68% of randomly selected individuals with higher frequenciesin women and the elderly (3;4).