thyroid nodule changed to solid?

[shelly45]

I had thyroid surgery on 8/28 for thyroid nodule. I am 32 year old female. I have family history of thyroid nodule,thyroid disorders and cancer all of them are females including my mother. Can thyroid nodule that was cystic on all of my test change all of the sudden to hard solid nodule? What can it indicate if it is turned to solid all of the sudden? My doctor was surprised that it was very hard solid nodule without calsification during surgery. He removed my right lobe. He did a frozen section and it came back benign but confused that it turned out to be very hard solid so he sent it out to a lab in Penn to be sure. What are my chances that it stays benign? Why would it change to a very hard solid nodule after it was confirm to be cystic? He told my mother that the test results before surgery was all cystic and was stumped? I had 3 nodules this one was 1.7 cm and the other two were small(just mm). This was all discovered in June when I went to get my lymph node checked being that it was swollen but no infection. I had FNA in Aug showed benign with follicular cells and hurthle cells changes. These nodules were not there last year or six months ago according to my doctor so it showed up out of no where.

[shelly45]

I got my final pathology report yesterday and it came back benign. He will explain to me during my office visit tomorrow when I go for follow-up and let me know what it was. My surgeon's partner came to see me while I was in the hsopital for post surgical set back. The doc in the er thought that I might have pneuomia and was admitted for 28 hours but it came back negative but have a bad case of brochotitis and my gastroparesis flared up. My surgeon came to see if my incision was healing properly being that I was coughing so much and the area swelled up but that was fine. He said it is healing nicely and theres no incisional infection. I am so glad that it came back benign so I can go back to my normal life.

[Mark Lupo, M.D.]

Penn is one of the best thyroid pathology labs in the country -- a definite diagnosis will be given.  It is hard to predict what it will be and it is somewhat unusual for a true cystic lesion to become solid - so I question if it was really a cyst or just misinterpreted on ultrasound.