Thyroid : official journal of the American Thyroid Association
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There is considerable controversy regarding the treatment of patients with cervical metastases from differentiated thyroid cancer. Most have papillary carcinoma and the main areas of contention relate to methods of assessment and staging, surgical management and mode of follow up. there is little evidence to support elective anatomical imaging with CT or MRI in those patients with suspected or proven malignancy at the primary site as indicated by fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) but who have no clinical evidence of nodal disease. The role of routine ultrasound (US) in the pre-operative assessment of suspected or known malignancy is developing but is largely unproven. ⋯ For follow up, US represents the most sensitive means of detecting neck recurrences and in the presence of an elevated serum thyroglobulin, imaging may also include whole body iodine-131 scanning and anatomical imaging with CT or MRI. The role of PET remains controversial but is likely to develop further as the technique becomes more widely available. In the future, the concentration of patients with this disease in large center can only improve the way we treat differentiated thyroid cancer.
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Case Reports
Urgent thyroidectomy for acute airway obstruction caused by a goiter in a euthyroid pregnant woman.
Pregnancy constitutes a significant factor for thyroid enlargement. However, acute respiratory failure as a result of airway obstruction from an enlarged thyroid gland is an unusual incident. ⋯ Despite operational risks to the mother as well as the fetus during gestation, an urgent thyroidectomy was carried out successfully. The postoperative period progressed normally and the patient completed her pregnancy with no further respiratory symptoms.
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Case Reports
Consumptive hypothyroidism caused by paraneoplastic production of type 3 iodothyronine deiodinase.
Consumptive hypothyroidism is characterized by excessive inactivation of thyroid hormone by type 3 iodothyronine deiodinase (D3). Previously this rare syndrome was described in association with massive hemangiomas in children and in a single case of a hemangioendothelioma in an adult. ⋯ The tumor expressed D3 message, protein and exhibited functional D3 enzymatic activity. The clinical presentation of this patient expands the differential diagnosis of hypothyroidism, adds to the growing list of paraneoplastic syndromes that impact the endocrine system, and extends the spectrum of tumor types associated with consumptive hypothyroidism.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Pre-incision infiltration of local anesthetic reduces postoperative pain with no effects on bruising and wound cosmesis after thyroid surgery.
Optimizing postoperative pain control is an important aspect in perioperative patient care. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of preincision local anesthetic infiltration in postoperative pain management for thyroid surgery and its relationship to bruising and wound cosmesis. In a randomized single-blinded study, 39 consecutive patients listed for thyroid surgery were assigned into two groups. ⋯ No patients (0%) received IV morphine in Group I compared to 5 patients (25%) in Group II. There was no significant difference in the mean bruising scores (p = 0.8864) and mean cosmetic scores (p = 0.3339) at discharge. Preincision infiltration with bupivacaine provides easy and better analgesic control postoperatively in patients following thyroid surgery with no effects on bruising or wound cosmesis.
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After primary successful antithyroid drug treatment (ATDT), Graves' disease has a relapse rate of 30% to 50%. Previous studies have evaluated age, gender, goiter volume, smoking habits, and the presence of thyrotropin-receptor antibodies (TRAb) as predictive markers to facilitate an individualized patient management. Despite higher sensitivity and specificity of the new second generation human TSH-receptor assay, the predictive value of TRAb for relapse of hyperthyroidism is still controversial. In a recent prospective multicenter study we have previously shown that suppressed or low TSH values predict both early (persistence) and late relapse of Graves' disease. We now present a more detailed analysis of the predictive value of TSH and TRAb for recurrent hyperthyroidism. ⋯ Low TSH values 4 weeks after ATDT withdrawal predict relapse of Graves' disease, both early (persistence) and, to a lesser extend, within 2 years of follow-up. Also, TRAb above 10 IU/L found in a small subset of patients, correlated with a higher relapse rate.