Summary In a 4-year period the solitary thyroid nodule was the most common form of thyroid pathology seen in the surgical section of a thyroid clinic. The cold thyroid nodule was the most frequent type of solitary nodule and half of these were unilocular cysts which were treated by aspiration and sclerotherapy. Cytological examination of the aspirated fluid revealed no evidence of malignant cells. Emphasis is placed on recommending operation if aspiration fails to cause the mass to disappear.