BACKGROUND: We previously reported a high incidence of primary thyroid cancer in fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomogram (FDG-PET)-detected incidental thyroid abnormalities. The aim of our study was to determine if these FDG-PET-detected thyroid malignancies represent a more-aggressive variant of primary thyroid carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients that underwent operative intervention for ...

OBJECTIVE: Thyroid nodules are frequently present in Graves' disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk of thyroid carcinoma in Graves' disease patients, with and without ultrasonographically identified nodules, who subsequently underwent surgical treatment. DESIGN: The study group included 150 consecutive patients with diagnosed Graves' disease who ...

A rare case of multiple thyroid ectopics has been presented. A 16 years old girl presented with swelling on the right side of neck and sense of lump in the throat. Oral examination confirmed presence of lingual thyroid. Examination of neck confirmed a 4 cm rounded soft mass on upper ...

BACKGROUND: The association between thyroid dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension (PH) has not been well characterized. METHODS: This retrospective study comprised 356 consecutive PH patients seen at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville Pulmonary Hypertension Center from 1992 to 2006 and 698 sex-matched control subjects without PH. Thyroid disease was defined as an abnormal ...

OBJECTIVE: To present an unusual case of amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis (AIT) associated with an autonomously functioning thyroid nodule, which was detected by means of a technetium scan; review the existing literature regarding the association of AIT with autonomous thyroid nodules; and explore the use of radioisotope imaging studies in patients with ...

Orbital rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common orbital malignancy of childhood with the common presentation of rapidly evolving unilateral proptosis. We studied six patients who were diagnosed and treated for rhabdomyosarcoma between January 1999 and June 2004. The age of the patients ranged from 4 to 29 years. Four patients presented ...

Thyroid dysfunction as an important cardiovascular risk factor, is not well characterized among cardiology patients of Georgia. Further, a consensus has not been reached about the relationships between thyroid function markers and plasma lipids. We investigated these risk factors among 250 cardiology patients admitted to the Emergency Cardiology Center. A ...

Silent thyroiditis, excluding postpartum thyroiditis and destructive amiodarone thyroiditis, is a relatively uncommon cause of thyrotoxicosis and recurrent cases are even rarer. We present four patients with recurrent silent thyroiditis. The number of episodes ranged from two to nine. All four patients had episodes that were similar in duration (4-6 ...

Carotid ultrasonography can detect thyroid nodules without increasing examination duration. The authors analyzed whether management is influenced by reporting such findings during routine carotid ultrasonography in hypertensive patients vs waiting for 6 months to repeat them. This is a population-based study of 1216 hypertensive patients. During carotid ultrasonography, nodule cystic/solid ...

BACKGROUND: In recent years serum thyroglobulin (Tg) measurement during thyroxine (T4) treatment and/or after stimulation by endogenous TSH or recombinant human TSH (rhTSH) has eclipsed other diagnostic procedures in managing patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). However, preoperative undetectable Tg was reported in up to 12% of patients affected by ...

The relationship between thyroid autoimmunity and cancer is still uncertain. We approached this issue in 570 consecutive patients submitted to thyroidectomy for an indeterminate nodule on cytology. Thyroid autoimmunity was defined as positivity of circulating thyroid autoantibodies (TAb), autoimmune hypo- or hyperthyroidism, thyroid hypoechogenicity on ultrasound, and lymphocytic infiltration on ...

Serum thyroglobulin (Tg) represents a highly specific biomarker for detecting residual thyroid tissue/recurrence/metastases after treatment for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). We evaluated the clinical impact of a highly sensitive Tg assay during routine follow-up of DTC patients. Tg values were measured by a highly sensitive Tg assay during L-T4 suppressive ...

BACKGROUND: We have conducted charged-particle radiotherapy for mucosal malignant melanoma (MMM) in the head and neck, using carbon ion beams. However, even with the use of carbon ion radiotherapy that is characterized by high local tumor control, a significant number of patients develop metastases after therapy. We conducted research on ...

BACKGROUND: Although the sensitivity of imaging studies is high in solitary parathyroid adenomas, negative results are inevitable. The aims of this prospective clinical study are to evaluate the impact of the presence of thyroid disease on the sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) of ultrasonography (US), sestamibi (MIBI), and parathyroid ...

Iodopovidone is an effective, safe, cheap, and easily available agent for pleurodesis. On the other hand, topical applications of iodopovidone may cause thyroid dysfunction. The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine the effects of intrapleural administration of iodopovidone on thyroid function. Twelve patients have undergone iodopovidone pleurodesis so ...

Radioiodine (131 I) therapy has been in use for more than 60 y. Several protocols have been suggested and used for prescribing the activity to be administered to the patients for the treatment of hyperthyroidism; application of these protocols may result in an under or over dose of the hyperthyroid ...

PURPOSE: Several new somatostatin analogues have been developed for the diagnosis and therapy of different tumours. Since somatostatin receptors are often over-expressed in medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), the aim of our study was to evaluate the utility of scintigraphy with the somatostatin analogue (99m)Tc-EDDA/HYNIC-TOC in MTC in comparison with other ...

Our purpose was to determine the clinical significance of diffusely increased (18)F-FDG uptake in the thyroid gland as an incidental finding on PET/CT. METHODS: All patients who were found to have diffuse thyroid uptake on (18)F-FDG PET/CT in our institution between November 2004 and June 2006 were investigated and compared ...

Our objectives were to investigate thyroid abnormalities and autoimmunity in 120 patients affected by fibromyalgia (FM) and to study their relationships with clinical data and symptoms. Thyroid assessment by means of antithyroglobulin antibodies, antithyroid peroxidase antibodies, free triiodo-thyronine, free thyroxine, and thyroid stimulating hormone analyses was carried out. The clinical ...

BACKGROUND: To assess changing trends in histological types of thyroid cancer in an Irish hospital over the past 30 years. METHODS: Biographical data, tumour characteristics, treatment and outcome from 190 patients with thyroid carcinoma from 1970 to 2000 were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Detailed records of 190 patients with thyroid cancer ...

Little is known about various blood parameters of oxidative stress and antioxidant defence patients with various thyroid functional states in autoimmune diseases (ATD). To clarify influence of thyroid metabolic status on blood redox parameters, we performed a complex estimation of patients with ATD (Graves' disease and chronic autoimmune thyroiditis). 50 ...

The coexistence of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is controversial. This study was conducted to evaluate the correlation between HT and PTC and to identify predictive factors for the coexistence of PTC and HT. A total of 922 patients underwent surgery for thyroid disorders between January 2001 ...

Pharmaceutical companies have developed targeted therapies such as trastuzumab and lapatinib for human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)2/neu-positive tumors, while others have developed antiepidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) therapies, such as tarceva and erbitux for EGFR-positive tumors. A drug called rencarex is targeted to an oncoprotein designated carbonic anhydrase IX ...

Background The incidence and risk factors for hypothyroidism in patients undergoing partial thyroid surgery remain unclear. Hypothyroidism is an under-appreciated sequel of hemithyroidectomy. The early recognition of post-operative hypothyroidism will alleviate symptoms and may prevent recurrent thyroid disease. Aim To investigate the incidence, time to onset and risk factors for ...

The purpose of our study was to assess the prevalence and clinical course of patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU), as well as possible causes or associated findings, laboratory findings and the duration of the disease in patients with chronic urticaria (CU). We retrospectively reviewed the 450 case record forms ...

OBJECTIVE: To study the long-term results of decompression surgery in patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO). DESIGN AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis and clinical re-examination of TAO patients with comparison to healthy controls in Helsinki University Central Hospital. PATIENTS: Seventy-eight patients who had undergone orbital decompression due to TAO by transantral or ...

According to many guidelines, scintigraphy remains the first suggested diagnostic procedure in hyperthyroid patients in spite of the widespread availability of ultrasounds. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of sonography versus scintigraphy in the management of Graves's disease, and to assess ultrasound features suggesting cancer in ...

The objective of this study was to define the prognostic factors of papillary microcarcinoma of the thyroid (PMCT), and to analyse their epidemiologic and histopathologic characteristics. Our series included 57 patients diagnosed with PMCT between 1994 and 2003 among 944 patients who underwent thyroid surgery. All the surgical specimens were ...

BACKGROUND: To quantify the rate of patients without thyroid remnants, to identify predictive factors for the absence of residual thyroid tissue and to evaluate number, site, size and function of thyroid remnants after total thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). METHODS: Thousand one hundred and seventy-eight patients who underwent total ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the changes in differentiation markers and therapeutic effects in all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA)-treated patients with dedifferentiated thyroid cancer. METHODS: Between September 2001 and July 2004 eleven patients were analysed retrospectively. They had dedifferentiated thyroid cancers (DTC) (four follicular, five papillary, two oxyphilic) and were selected for treatment with ...

This study assessed salivary gland parameters and clinical data in patients referred to our clinic because of persisting xerostomia of unknown origin, in order to facilitate early diagnosis and recognition of the underlying disorder. Most patients were referred for diagnostic analysis of a possible Sjögren's syndrome (SS). A complete diagnostic ...

BACKGROUND: Interferon (IFN) has been well documented to cause thyroid dysfunction, especially in high risk patients and when combined with ribavirin (RBV). There is very sparse data to assess if pegylated IFN will further aggravate the thyroid disease risk in comparison to regular IFN. The purpose of this study was ...

Hashimoto's encephalopathy (HE) is a rare immune-mediated encephalopathy developing in patients with high serum concentrations of anti-thyroid antibodies usually in an euthyroid or hypothyroid state. We report a 31-year-old female patient with thyrotoxic HE whose daughter has been followed up with the same diagnosis. Suboptimal response was observed with intravenous ...

BACKGROUND: Although serum thyroglobulin (Tg) is an excellent marker for detecting recurrent or persistent differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), it is unreliable in patients who have positive anti-Tg antibodies. Furthermore, a growing number of patients with DTC have elevated Tg levels but no detectable disease on radioiodine scanning or other imaging ...

INTRODUCTION: At present the most widely accepted tool for follow-up management of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients is serum thyroglobulin (Tg) measurement. It is not uncommon for the serum Tg level to be measured while the patient is taking thyroid hormones (on-treatment Tg measurement). The purpose of the study was ...

Color flow Doppler sonography (CFDS) is gaining importance for the functional evaluation of the thyroid disorders. We aimed to determine the value of CFDS for the etiological diagnosis of hyperthyroidism. Fifty-five patients with hyperthyroidism (29 Graves' disease [GD] and 26 toxic adenoma [TA]), 24 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), and ...

OBJECTIVE: To present and discuss three cases of apparent reactivation of Graves' orbitopathy (GO) after orbital decompression and to evaluate the incidence of this phenomenon. DESIGN: Observational case series and retrospective follow-up study. PARTICIPANTS: A few weeks after surgery 2 patients with GO (patients 1 and 2), treated at our ...

Abnormal findings on salivary gland scintigraphy (SGS) are part of the classification criteria for Sjøgren's syndrome (SS), but SGS is operator dependent and poorly standardised. We studied the use of quantitative data on the uptake, concentration and excretion of the four major salivary glands in the evaluation of sicca patients. ...

INTRODUCTION: Thyroid crisis is an acute manifestation of thyrotoxicosis. Approximately 1-2% of patients progress to a thyroid storm, often precipitated by a physiologically stressful event. If unrecognized or left untreated, thyroid storm may result in cardiovascular collapse and death. AIM: We describe three patients who presented to the Emergency Department ...

Two hundred and two patients with clinically typical or biopsy-confirmed vulval lichen sclerosus were reviewed either at consultation (75%) or by retrospectively examining their chart. At diagnosis, 79% were 50 years or older. Ninety-six per cent complained of itching, pain and/or dyspareunia. Lichen sclerosus most often affected the labia minora ...

Th1 and Th2-like cytokines are involved in the pathogenesis of Graves' disease. The shift in balance in IL-12/IL-5 cytokines was applied in judging the immunological events in 74 patients with Graves' disease (50 had ophthalmopathy) during methimazole therapy and in 15 controls. The serum levels of IL-12 and IL-5 were ...

OBJECTIVE: It has been shown that there is considerable variation in the diagnosis and management of the thyroid nodule. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in the practice of family physicians and specialists in ordering thyroid scans in the initial workup of patients with thyroid nodules. ...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate gene expression of thyrostimulin in orbital and thyroid tissue from patients with and without Graves' disease. DESIGN: Real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used for detection of thyrostimulin gene expression in intraorbital adipose tissue from patients with severe ophthalmopathy and thyroid healthy controls in addition ...

CONTEXT: The mechanism of activation of the immune system after iodine-131 (131I) treatment of hyperthyroidism is still not fully clarified. Serum levels of CXCL10, a prototype of the CXC family of chemokines, are increased in several endocrine autoimmune conditions, and this chemokine plays a role at least in the initial ...

CONTEXT: Most patients with defective synthesis and/or secretion of thyroglobulin (Tg) present relatively high serum free T3 (FT3) concentrations with disproportionately low free T4 (FT4) resulting in a high FT3/FT4 ratio. The mechanism of this change in FT3/FT4 ratio remains unknown. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesize that increased type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase ...

The aim of this study is to verify labial microcirculation differences among healthy subjects and those with Hashimoto`s thyroiditis. Fifteen healthy patients and 15 patients suffering from Hashimoto`s thyroiditis were examined. Labial capillaroscopy was used to investigate the characteristics of microcirculation. For each patient we evaluated visibility, course, tortuosity and ...

In parathyroidectomy, it has been recognized that a shift to a minimally invasive procedure may be accompanied by a possibility of missing thyroid pathology. However, only a few findings concerning preoperative thyroid evaluation have been reported. We investigated the prevalence of concomitant thyroid pathology by preoperative neck ultrasonography (US) in ...

AIMS: Major controversies exist regarding the treatment of papillary microcarcinoma of the thyroid (PMC). Prior to 2003 PMC was defined by the WHO as a papillary carcinoma of 1 cm or less in diameter. In 2004 that definition changed, with the new classification requiring that the tumour also must be ...

In this study we compared whole body scintigraphy with Tc-99m-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI) and Iodine-131 NA (131I) for detection of residual and/or metastatic disease in well differentiated thyroid carcinoma. METHODS: MIBI and I-131 scans were obtained in 60 patients. TSH measurements were done in all the patients prior to scintigraphy. RESULTS: Out ...

BACKGROUND: Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) is a relatively common entity in the general population. AIM: To present our experience with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma of the thyroid as an incidental finding in patients treated surgically for presumably benign thyroid disease. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Histology reports of patients treated surgically with a ...