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How Is Benign Thyroid Cyst Treated ?
Question: HI, by chance i noticed a small hard bump in the middle of my neck to the right, below my XXXXXXX XXXXXXX It doesn't hurt except that i keep trying to find it again. it moves up and down when i swallow or stick out my tongue. I can't figure if it is supposed to be there or not. I have no other symptoms but am starting to obsess about it it is not noticeable unless i push in there and move my finger around. pretty small any ideas thyroid nodule? family history of underactive thyroid
Hello and thank you for submitting your question.
Your question is a very good one and I'll try to provide you with some information and recommendations regarding what is going on.
There are really two possibilities as far as what you might be experiencing. The first which mentioned would be a small thyroid nodule. These are usually be nine and are not extremely worrisome.
The second possibility would be that you have a small cyst in what is called the thyroglossal duct. This is also a benign type of finding and will not at all cause you any long-term problems.
My recommendation for you would be to see your ultrasound which will give us a much better idea of the origin of what you are appreciating.
At some point if this nodule appears to be more than just a simple cyst a fine needle biopsy might be performed. Again we are getting ahead of ourselves at this point to even discuss this possibility and I would encourage you to discuss this with your doctor and follow up with imaging if he feels it is necessary.
I thank you again for submitting your question. I hope you found my answer to be both helpful and informative. If you have any additional concerns regarding this question I would be happy to address them.
Sincerely,
Dr. Robert
Your question is a very good one and I'll try to provide you with some information and recommendations regarding what is going on.
There are really two possibilities as far as what you might be experiencing. The first which mentioned would be a small thyroid nodule. These are usually be nine and are not extremely worrisome.
The second possibility would be that you have a small cyst in what is called the thyroglossal duct. This is also a benign type of finding and will not at all cause you any long-term problems.
My recommendation for you would be to see your ultrasound which will give us a much better idea of the origin of what you are appreciating.
At some point if this nodule appears to be more than just a simple cyst a fine needle biopsy might be performed. Again we are getting ahead of ourselves at this point to even discuss this possibility and I would encourage you to discuss this with your doctor and follow up with imaging if he feels it is necessary.
I thank you again for submitting your question. I hope you found my answer to be both helpful and informative. If you have any additional concerns regarding this question I would be happy to address them.
Sincerely,
Dr. Robert
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Thank you for your response, i will talk to my primary care dr about it at my next appt. I have been reading on the internet about these things and am wondering if the fact that this bump is hard and only moves around when i swallow is more concerning? I am confused by the terms I am seeing and not sure what "fixed" refers to. Can you tell if it is "fluid filled" or "solid" by touching it? and is one worse than the other? I did the neck test and don't see any protrusions or swelling in my neck, and I can really only find this bump if I feel around for it seems to be smaller than a pea. I also slightly feel another smaller one on the other side but am not sure. I also had a thyroid test done about a year ago after I had a baby and things came back normal, would a problem have shown up then? Can thyroglossal cysts be deeper in your neck? Pics on the internet are indicating a skin bulge.
I'm not sure if my follow-up question was recieved, I have read more on the internet about these two options and I am concerned most about the fact that this bump is hard, I am finding different things saying nodules on thyroid can be hard or soft both and some people said hard nodules are cancerous. mine if that is what i found is hard. Again it is smaller than a pea and moves up and down whn i swallow and a little back and forth when i stick out my tongue i have to really press down hard to find it and i have been doing it so much my neck is sore. it is in the middle off to the right of my neck, at first thought it might be part of my windpipe or something. I can't find really any info on thryroglossal cysts can you explain what they would feel like are they inside the neck?
Hello I did receive your followup and apologize for the delay in getting back to you.
I am inclined to think this is not a thyroglossal duct cyst because of the sheer very small size.
The term fixed means that the cyst itself is immobile and attached to underlying tissue. We really cannot determine this for sure in your case in the absence of a skilled physical exam by a medical professional.
I don't think this is associated with your pregnancy and doubt that it was present a year ago.
It is very hard to differentiate a solid cyst from a fluid filled one just on palpation. We have to defer to ultrasound for that. I am very inclined to think this is a benign thyroid cyst or possibly just a small benign skin cyst.
Speculating on what this is will not be helpful at this point as we need the information that only a radiological study can provide. Please attend a followup visit with your doctor to have this worked up appropriately.
I thank you again for the query and followup and hope my answer is both helpful and informative for you. Should you have any additional concerns I would be happy to address them.
Sincerely,
Dr. Galamaga
I am inclined to think this is not a thyroglossal duct cyst because of the sheer very small size.
The term fixed means that the cyst itself is immobile and attached to underlying tissue. We really cannot determine this for sure in your case in the absence of a skilled physical exam by a medical professional.
I don't think this is associated with your pregnancy and doubt that it was present a year ago.
It is very hard to differentiate a solid cyst from a fluid filled one just on palpation. We have to defer to ultrasound for that. I am very inclined to think this is a benign thyroid cyst or possibly just a small benign skin cyst.
Speculating on what this is will not be helpful at this point as we need the information that only a radiological study can provide. Please attend a followup visit with your doctor to have this worked up appropriately.
I thank you again for the query and followup and hope my answer is both helpful and informative for you. Should you have any additional concerns I would be happy to address them.
Sincerely,
Dr. Galamaga
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
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