Thyroid Nodules and Surgery

The exact cause of thyroid nodules is not known, but the following factors may be involved:

• A lack of iodine in your diet
• A thyroid condition such as goitre or hypothyroidism, in particular Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
• Exposure to radiation treatments
• A history of thyroid nodules in your family

Is your neck lump a thyroid nodule?

If you have a lump in the middle of your neck (below your Adam’s apple) or just off the centre, which moves with swallowing, it is probably a thyroid nodule. Your doctor will be able to confirm this finding. The lump you feel may be either a solitary nodule or a dominant nodule in a background of multiple nodules, or even a diffusely enlarged thyroid gland.