The thyroid gland scintigram. A decision aid for the surgical approach in thyroid gland diseases?

For the operative proceeding thyroid scintiscan seems widely dispensable in many routine cases as it leads neither to a different operative strategy nor to an improvement of surgical results. In a few selected cases, however, operative proceeding is determined by scintigraphic results. Thus the question of the importance of scintigraphic methods for thyroid diagnostics and therapy as well as for the selection of patients for surgery cannot be answered and must be subject of a separate examination.