Thyroid Clinic

Preparing for your examination

Please bring the results of any previous thyroid examinations with you: your outpatient record, your most recent laboratory results, the report of any thyroid scintigraphy, and a list of your regular medication. It is important for us to know whether you have been exposed to increased iodine intake in the two months before the examination (X-ray contrast agents, amiodarone, iodine-containing disinfectants, dietary supplements with a high iodine content). Information about your body weight, or any change in it over recent months, will also be helpful. You do not need to fast before the blood sample is taken for laboratory analysis of thyroid parameters, and you may take your regular medication. Please dress so that you can easily uncover your neck, and remove any necklaces or your tie before the examination.

What happens during the examination

After you check in at the reception desk, the doctor will call you into the consulting room, where you will discuss your symptoms. This will be followed by a clinical examination and an ultrasound examination of your neck. Based on these findings, the doctor will refer you for a blood sample for laboratory tests, which we carry out in our own laboratory. If the thyroid gland shows nodular changes (nodular goitre), a thyroid scintigraphy is usually also required, which you will have at the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the University Medical Centre Maribor. When the referral is issued, we will set the date and time of the scan, as well as your follow-up appointment.

At the follow-up examination, the doctor will decide on further steps based on the laboratory results, the ultrasound examination and the scintigraphy report. Most often, we prescribe medication.

Sometimes, to assess thyroid nodules more precisely, a fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the nodule is required: under ultrasound guidance, cells are drawn from the nodule with a needle and sent for examination under a microscope. We recommend that you remain in the clinic for at least 20 minutes after the biopsy and avoid strenuous physical activity for the rest of that day.

Referral for treatment elsewhere

In cases of persistent thyroid hyperfunction that does not settle after six months of medication or that frequently recurs, and where a thyroid nodule produces excessive thyroid hormone (toxic adenoma), the doctor may decide on treatment with radioactive iodine (I-131). You will receive the therapy, in the form of a capsule taken on an empty stomach, at the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the University Medical Centre Maribor.

You will be given written instructions for patients, which you must follow in the days after the administration of I-131 for radiation-protection reasons. The full therapeutic effect of this treatment becomes apparent within six months. Harmless replacement therapy with thyroid hormone is usually needed afterwards.

In the case of a large goitre that causes difficulty breathing or swallowing (compression symptoms), as well as for the same indications as I-131 therapy, the doctor may refer you to a thoracic surgeon for surgical treatment. Replacement therapy with thyroid hormone is usually also needed after surgery.

At the end of the examination you will receive an outpatient record stating the date of your follow-up appointment or a recommendation for a follow-up after a longer period.

Waiting time

Check the waiting times for the Thyroid Clinic.

Waiting times for first examinations for insured patients with a referral under the contract with ZZZS (the Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia), as at 3 June 2026 (the date is updated whenever the information changes).

In accordance with the Rules on the longest permissible waiting times for individual health services and on the management of waiting lists, you can check waiting times on the website of NIJZ (the National Institute of Public Health).

• Regular: up to 119 days
• Fast: up to 90 days
• Very fast: up to 61 days
• Pregnancy: up to 14 days

Person responsible for the waiting list: Julij Vertačnik, RN (scitnica@mdt.si, 02 23 53 555).

Imaging diagnostics in the Diagnostični center Bled Group

In addition to basic diagnostics, doctors often recommend further imaging (MRI, CT or X-ray).

The Diagnostični center Bled Group is the largest provider of diagnostic imaging in Slovenia — appointments are available with a referral, for self-paying patients and for insurance companies.