Q. A 42-year-old female presents to the emergency department with a noticeable enlargement of her neck, which she reports has been gradually increasing in size over the past year. The patient presents with her husband, who convinced her to get it “checked out.” She denies any pain or discomfort related to the goiter. She has no history of weight loss or weight gain. She reports eating and sleeping normally, and has regular bowel habits. Social history reveals that the patient is a non-smoker and does not consume alcohol.
On physical examination, she is afebrile, and her blood pressure is 120/80 mm Hg, heart rate 68/min, respiratory rate 18/min, and oxygen saturation is 99 percent on room air. The patient appears healthy and is in no acute distress. You palpate a large, smooth, non-tender goiter that is symmetrical and moves with swallowing (see photo below). No associated bruits or lymphadenopathy is appreciated. Auscultation of her chest demonstrates a normal cardiopulmonary assessment. The rest of her physical examination is unremarkable. You order blood work, which reveals a TSH level of 2.5 mIU/L and a free T4 level of 1.2 ng/dL.
Based on the patient's history, physical examination, and laboratory results, which of the following is the next best step in her care?