The reactions of euthyroid and hyperthyroid glands to radioactive iodine.

Background: Researchers generally assume that the thyroid gland reacts more or less comparably to external irradiation and radioactive iodine.

Design: The thyroid glands from 20 euthyroid patients and 20 hyperthyroid patients, all of which had been treated with radioactive iodine, were studied.

Results: The two groups manifested different reactions.

Correlation of thyroglobulin measurements and radioiodine scans in the follow-up of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer.

Correlation of radioiodine (131I) scans and serum thyroglobulin (Tg) concentrations were performed in the follow-up of 85 differentiated thyroid cancer patients who had undergone total thyroidectomy. Tg results were also compared with the control group of 33 thyroidectomized patients with no evidence of thyroid carcinoma and normal values for Tg established. Excellent correlation between Tg and scans was noted in patients with scan evidence of metastasis distant from the neck.

A safe technique for thyroidectomy with complete nerve dissection and parathyroid preservation.

A series of 1,000 consecutive thyroid operations is presented, without a case of permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve injury. Emphasis is placed on the identification of variations and complete dissection of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, including peripheral branches and technical aspects of the dissection. Sixty-five percent of the cases had multiple terminal branches of the recurrent laryngeal nerve and five cases on the right side had a nonrecurrent course.

The significance of 1-131 scan dose in patients with thyroid cancer: determination of ablation: concise communication.

Twenty-four patients with differentiated thyroid cancer were studied with diagnostic I-131 neck chest scans after having undergone bilateral subtotal thyroidectomy and initial I-131 therapy with either 30- or 100-mCi doses. With an endogenous stimulation protocol, follow-up studies were performed with neck and chest scans using 2 and 10 mCi I-131. A 400% increase in sensitivity was found with a 10-mCi dose relative to a 2-mCi dose.

Occult medullary carcinoma of thyroid: an unusual clinical and pathologic presentation.

High calcitonin levels noted on a totally healthy 49-year-old man participating in a calcitonin control project led to a presumptive diagnosis of medullary carcinoma. Complete thyroid studies augmented by selective catheterization and quantitative calcitonin studies confirmed the clinical impression of medullary carcinoma. Surgery was recommended and a total thyroidectomy was performed.

DISGUISED THYROID DISORDERS.

In six cases of hyperthyroidism and two of chronic thyroiditis herein described, the initial features of the diseases were misinterpreted as attributable to other kinds of illness such as myocardial infarction, gastrointestinal malignant disease, malabsorption syndrome, psychosis, simple exophthalmos and endemic goiter. The characteristic signs and symptoms of hyperthyroidism (in six patients) and chronic thyroiditis (in two patients) were present at the outset but were not identified. Intensive questioning and alertness were required to elicit these characteristics.

Non-toxic goiter treatment with 1-triiodothyronine and 1-thyroxine.

Twenty-one patients with goiters-four diffuse and 17 nodular-were treated with I-triiodothyronine and I-thyroxine in doses to tolerance. The four diffuse goiters were barely palpable at the end of the treatment. The average dose of I-triiodothyronine required was 100 mcg.