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A 30 year old primagravida patient comes to the clinic with complaints of a very hot spot on her neck. Upon examination that nurse practitioner palpates a very small nodule on her thyroid gland. What is the next appropriate action?

a. Thyroid ultrasound
b. 24-hour radioactive iodine uptake
c. Nodule biopsy
c. Refer to endocrinology

User Tobiasdm
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

For a primigravida patient with a palpable thyroid nodule, a thyroid ultrasound is the next appropriate action. This test allows assessment of the nodule's characteristics and helps guide further testing or specialist referral.

Step-by-step explanation:

A 30-year-old primagravida patient with complaints of a hot spot on her neck and a palpable thyroid nodule warrants further examination. The suggested first line diagnostic procedure in this case would be a thyroid ultrasound to determine the nodule's characteristics such as size, structure, and whether it is solid or fluid-filled. The thyroid ultrasound can help determine if additional tests or interventions, such as a biopsy or radioactive iodine uptake, are needed. It also helps the healthcare practitioner decide whether referral to an endocrinologist is necessary at this stage. If the ultrasound suggests a suspicious nodule, then further fine-needle aspiration biopsy may be warranted to check for malignancy. A 24-hour radioactive iodine uptake might be considered based on the ultrasound and biopsy results or if the practitioner suspects a thyroid function anomaly.

User DuSant
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