A thyroidologist is a

medical practitioner A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the study, diagnosis, prognosis ...

specializing in the

thyroid The thyroid, or thyroid gland, is an endocrine gland in vertebrates. In humans, it is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the neck below the Adam's apple. It consists of two connected lobes. The lower two thirds of the lobes are connected by ...

and related areas. In the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

it refers to a board certified

endocrinologist Endocrinology (from ''endocrine'' + '' -ology'') is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions known as hormones. It is also concerned with the integration of developmental events ...

physician, who is either a full time academic with multiple responsibilities beside

patient care, or a clinical thyroidologist. A clinical thyroidologist is a board certified endocrinologist, who cares for a majority of thyroid patients, with few patients experiencing other

endocrine The endocrine system is a messenger system in an organism comprising feedback loops of hormones that are released by internal glands directly into the circulatory system and that target and regulate distant organs. In vertebrates, the hypotha ...

conditions. In many European countries, not only endocrinologists, but also nuclear medicine specialists work as clinical thyroidologists focusing on diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disease. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) developed the Endocrine Certification in Neck Ultrasound (ECNU) program. ECNU is a professional certification in the field of neck

ultrasonography Medical ultrasound includes diagnostic techniques (mainly imaging) using ultrasound, as well as therapeutic applications of ultrasound. In diagnosis, it is used to create an image of internal body structures such as tendons, muscles, joints, ...

for Endocrinologists, Thyroidologists, and Thyroidology practices. Those certified in the field perform consultations and diagnostic evaluations for thyroid and parathyroid disorders through both diagnostic ultrasound and ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (UGFNA). These clinical thyroidologists also take on the role of interventional thyroid radiologists, and specialize in non-surgical procedures such as ablation therapy for thyroid and parathyroid cysts and recurrent neck thyroid cancer lymph nodes. Physicians and medical practitioners who hold the ECNU professional certification are highly specialized thyroidologists in the field of neck ultrasonography. They perform consultations and diagnostic evaluations for thyroid and parathyroid disorders through both diagnostic ultrasound and ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (UGFNA).

References

{{Reflist Health care occupations Thyroid disease