Pathological diagnosis and immunohistochemical analysis of giant retrosternal goiter in the elderly: A case report

BACKGROUND Elderly giant retrosternal thyroid goiter is a rare yet significant medical condition,often presenting clinical symptoms that can be confused with other diseases,posing diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.This study aims to delve into the characteristics and potential mechanisms of this ailment through pathological diagnosis and immunohistochemical analysis,providing clinicians with more precise diagnostic and treatment strategies.A 77-year-old male,was admitted to hospital with the chief complaint of finding a goiter in the semilunar month during physical examination,accompanied by dyspnea.Locally protruding into the superior mediastinum,the adjacent structure was compressed,the trachea was compressed to the right,and the local lumen was slightly narrowed.The patient was diagnosed with giant retrosternal goiter.Considering dyspnea caused by trachea compression,our department planned to perform giant retrosternal thyroidectomy.Immunohistochemical results:Tg(+),TTF-1(+),Calcitonin(CT)(I),Ki-67(+,about 20%),CD34(-).Retrosternal goiter means that more than 50%of the volume of the thyroid gland is below the upper margin of the sternum.As retrosternal goiter disease is a relatively rare disease,once the disease is diagnosed,it should be timely surgical treatment,and the treatment is more difficult,the need for professional medical team for comprehensive treatment.CONCLUSION The imaging manifestations of giant retrosternal goiter are atypical,histomorphology and immunohistochemistry can assist in its diagnosis.This article reviews the relevant literature of giant retrosternal goiter immunohisto-chemistry and shows that giant retrosternal goiter is positive for Tg,TTF-1,and Ki-67.

Lithium carbonate-induced giant goiter and subclinical hyperthyroidism in a patient with schizophrenia:A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Lithium carbonate is used to manage various mood disorders,but it can cause thyroid abnormalities,including goiter,hypothyroidism,and hyperthyroidism.In rare cases,it can lead to giant goiter and subclinical hyperthyroidism,which may require surgical intervention in severe cases.CASE SUMMARY This case represents a rare development of giant goiter and subclinical hyperthyroidism in a schizophrenia patient who was subjected to prolonged lithium carbonate treatment.The enlarged thyroid gland caused pressure on the airway and recurrent laryngeal nerve,which led to respiratory distress,hoarseness,and dysphagia.The immediate danger of suffocation required urgent surgical intervention.In this report,we describe the case of a 41-year-old Chinese woman.This sheds light on the etiology and challenges associated with managing a giant goiter.The patient underwent a subtotal thyroidectomy to relieve airway compression and facilitate airway expansion.Prior to the procedure,the patient was given iodine to prepare.Concurrently,changes were made to the psychiatric medication regimen.Following surgery,the patient's respiratory function and vocal cord functionality improved significantly,and her mental state remained stable.CONCLUSION It is essential to monitor thyroid function,test thyroid antibody levels,and perform thyroid ultrasounds consistently in all patients undergoing long-term lithium carbonate treatment.This vigilance helps prevent severe and potentially life-threatening thyroid enlargement.

Low cervical incision combined with video-assisted thoracoscopy for resection of a goiter extending to the posterior mediastinum:A case report and literature review

Approximately 25%of goiters extend to the substernal area,and most of them can be removed through a cervical incision.Goiters that extend into the posterior mediastinum are very rare,and resection usually requires thoracotomy.In recent years,there have been several reports of resection of substernal goiters by minimally invasive surgery.Here,we present a 75-year-old female with a giant substernal goiter who successfully underwent resection of the goiter extending to the posterior mediastinum using low cervical incision combined with video-assisted thoracoscopy.

Advances in the Intervention of Prunella Spica Capsules on Postoperative Recurrence of Nodular Goiter

As important drugs for the treatment of nodular goiter(NG),Prunella Spica preparations are widely used clinically,and have a significant effect on NG.Various active ingredients in the preparations intervene in the formation of NG by inhibiting the proliferation of thyroid follicular cells,promoting cell apoptosis,regulating immunity,improving the microcirculation of thyroid tissue and other mechanisms,and can reduce the postoperative recurrence of NG.

Mechanism of Huatan Sanjie Fang in improving goiter in Graves'disease mice based on the Hippo signaling pathway

Objective:To explore the mechanism of Huatan Sanjie Fang(HTSJ)in regulating goiter in Graves'disease(GD)mice by detecting key factors of the Hippo signaling pathway.Methods:A mouse model of GD was established by injecting Ad-TSHR289 adenovirus into the bilateral quadriceps femoris of female mice.Successful mouse models were then randomly divided into a model group,methimazole(MMI)group,and HTSJ group,and fed with deionized water,MMI(4.5 mg/kg per day),and HTSJ(35.10 g/kg per day),respectively,for 10 weeks.Histopathological changes of the thyroid gland were subsequently observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining.Radioimmunoassay was used to detect serum total thyroxine(T4)and thyrotrophin-receptor antibody(TRAb)levels.The relative expression of mRNA of Mst1,YAP,and TAZ were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction,while the protein expression of Mst1,YAP,TAZ,pMst1,and pYAP were detected by western blot.Results:After 10 weeks of drug intervention,goiter and other pathological changes in the HTSJ group significantly improved compared with the model group,and the levels of serum T4 and TRAb significantly decreased(P=.002,P<.001,respectively).Decreased mRNA expression of Mst1,YAP,and TAZ,the key factors of the Hippo signaling transduction pathway,was also observed(P=.002,P=.022,P<.001,respectively).In contrast,protein expression of Mst1(P=.046),pMst1(P=.026),and p YAP(P=.004)increased,while protein expression of YAP and TAZ decreased(P=.041,P<.001,respectively).Conclusion:HTSJ can effectively improve goiter in GD mice through the Hippo signaling pathway.

Thyroidectomy for Massive Goiter Weighing more than 500 Grams. Technical Difficulties, Complications and Management. Review

Background: Multinodular goiter is a relatively common thyroid disorder with a marked female preponderance. Most of these goiters weigh less than 100 grams with those weighing more than 500 grams being exceptional. The massively expanding goiter due to the strategic anatomic location of thyroid gland, in addition to being cosmetically disfiguring can seriously compromise the patency of the trachea and oesophagus. Thyroidectomy for such goiters is a surgical challenge due to the possible association of tracheomalacia, retrosternal extension, skin involvement and the difficulty in intubation and dissection of the thyroid gland due to distorted and displaced anatomy. Material and methods: While presenting 2 patients who underwent thyroidectomy for glands weighing more than 500 grams, the literature is reviewed to analyze the technical difficulties and approach in such patients and the frequently encountered complications in them and their management. Results: A review of the literature revealed an additional 7 cases of patients who had undergone thyroidectomy for glands weighing more than 500 grams. Massively enlarged goiter was often associated with tracheomalacia, tracheal stenosis and retrosternal extension. Difficulty during surgery was most often encountered in establishing the airway and in exposure of the gland particularly when the skin was involved. The predominant postoperative complications were related to respiratory distress as a consequence of tracheomalacia and tracheal stenosis. Conclusion: In spite of the technical challenge related to the airway, and thyroidectomy, surgery continues to be the best option in experienced hands due to its distinct advantage of its immediate effect and complete resolution of compressive symptoms.

Complete transthoracic resection of giant posterior mediastinal goiter: A case report and review of the surgical approaches

Intrathoracic goiter(IG) is commonly located in the anterior mediastinum. Here, we report the case of a 54-year-old Chinese woman with successful removal of an intrathoracic goiter and improvement of dyspnea by a right posterolateral thoracotomy approach. Conclusion: Posterior mediastinal thyroid goiter with mediastinal compressive symptoms is an indication for surgery.

Surveys in Areas of High Risk of Iodine Deficiency and Iodine Excess in China, 2012-2014： Current Status and Examination of the Relationship between Urinary Iodine Concentration and Goiter Prevalence in Children Aged 8-10 Years

Objective We aimed to evaluate goiter prevalence and iodine nutritional status in areas with high levels of water iodine; to monitor the prevalence of iodine deficiency disorders （IDD） in areas at high risk of IDD; and to compare the prevalence of goiter and urine iodine （UI） concentrations between children living in the two areas. Methods Based on surveillance from 2012-2014, we analyzed the concentration of UI and prevalence of goiter in 8-10-year-old children from 12 high-risk IDD provinces, and from 8 provinces and municipalities with excessive water iodine. We calculated goiter prevalence for each UI level according to World Health Organization （WHO） standards and constructed predictive prevalence curves. Results The goiter prevalence and median UI of children from areas with high water iodine were not optimal, being above the WHO standards （5% and 100-199 μg/L, respectively）, whereas those in high-risk areas fell within the standard. UI and goiter prevalence exhibited a U-shaped relationship in high-risk endemic areas and a parabolic relationship in areas of iodine excess. Conclusion Iodine surplus in high-iodine areas leads to high goiter prevalence and UI. However, in high-risk areas, UI was optimal and goiter prevalence met the national criteria for IDD elimination.

Metastasis to the thyroid gland from primary breast cancer presenting as diffuse goiter:A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Metastasis to the thyroid gland(TM)from primary breast cancer is uncommon and usually presents as thyroid nodules;however,diffuse goiter without thyroid nodules is the first sign of TM in rare cases.Skip metastases(SMs)to the lymph nodes in breast cancer,defined as discontiguous higher-level metastases in the absence of lower levels of contiguous metastases,have been reported in the contralateral cervical area of the primary tumor site in rare cases.CASE SUMMARY A 49-year-old previously healthy Chinese woman was diagnosed with right lateral invasive ductal carcinoma and underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy treatment and bilateral mastectomy with axillary lymph node dissection.No malignancy of the left breast or axillary or distant metastases were identified preoperatively.However,enlarged left cervical lymph nodes were detected 36 mo after surgery,and rapidly enlarging thyroid glands without nodules were detected 42 mo after surgery.Fine-needle aspiration cytology was performed on the left cervical lymph nodes and left lobe of the thyroid,which were both revealed to contain metastases from the primary breast cancer.Additionally,the immunostaining profiles changed in the process of metastases.The patient was discharged with the NP(vinorelbine and cisplatin)regimen for subsequent treatment,and stable disease was determined when the curative effect was evaluated.CONCLUSION Diffuse goiter may be the first sign of TM,and enlarged lymph nodes in the contralateral cervical area may be SMs of primary breast cancer.

The Relationship between Giant Goiter and Operative Complications: A Retrospective Study

Background: Thyroidectomy for giant goiter is a surgical challenge due to distorted and displaced anatomy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between giant goiter and its operative complications. Material and Methods: A retrospective multicenter study of consecutive patients who had thyroid surgery was conducted, including 639 patients who undergone thyroidectomy in State hospital at Van and Corlu city—Turkey. Seven cases had giant goiter in the patients. Total thyroidectomy was performed all patients. Results: All patients were women. The mean weight of glands removed was 689 gr in giant goiter’s patients. Two operative complications had happened;right site injury of the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve had happened to one patient;hypocalcemia was happened to another one patient. In those two patients previously were operated partial thyroidectomy. Conclusions: Thyroidectomy for a massively enlarged goiter is technically challenging. The predominant operative complications were related to previously operate and the thyroid gland due to distorted and displaced anatomy. The surgical approach to such cases requires carefully preoperative evaluation and planning. Especially, using of intraoperative nerve monitoring is to be useful in these difficult cases which previously had undergone surgery.

Voluminous Goiters in Surgery B of Chu of Point G: Diagnostic Aspects

Purpose: To describe the aspects of the positive diagnosis of large goiters. Patients and Methods: We conducted a retrospective and prospective study including 115 patients from January, 2009 till December, 2014 (6 years) in Central Hospital of University of Point G in Bamako (Mali). The diagnosis of large goiters was based on the measurements of the anterior neck swelling. Thus large goiter was defined as any goiter including the height or width was greater than or equal to 10 cm (centimeters). Results: We operated 115 cases of large goiters on 760 goiters operated either 15.1%. The average age of patients was 44, 43 years ±14, 3 with extremes of 9 and 80 years. There was 101 women (87.8%) and 14 men (12.2%) with a sex ratio of 7.2 in favor of women. The signs of compression were dyspnea in 40% of cases (46/115), dysphonia in 13.0% (15/115), and dysphagia in 8.6% (10/115). The average height of goiter was 12.1 cm ± 3.5 cm with extremes of 10 and 29 cm and the average width was 14.4 cm ± 5.4 cm with extremes of 10 and 32 cm. Thyroid ultrasound found large goiters multinodular in 100%. Cervical radiography found the tracheal deviation in 48.2% (42/87), tracheal compression in 20.6% (18/87), plunging goiters in 11.5% (10/87). Cytology found a benign goiter in 97.4% of cases (112/115), malignant (thyroid cancer) in 2.6% of cases (3/115). Conclusion: Diagnosis of large goiters was based on the measurement of the swelling in our context. The signs of compression are the severity of this condition.

An unusual cause of hematemesis:Goiter

Downhill varices are located in the upper part of the esophagus and are usually related to superior vena cava obstruction. Bleeding from these varices is extremely rare. We describe a 77-year-old patient with hematemesis due to downhill varices as a result of recurrent goiter. A right lobe thyroidectomy was carried out with disappearance of the varices.

Ultrasound Diagnosis of Cervical Vagal Schwannoma Misdiagnosed as Nodular Goiter

Background: Schwannoma is a benign tumor derived from Schwann cells. The most common location was cerebellopontine angle (CPA). Neurilemmoma originated from the thyroid gland is very rare. Purpose: To discuss the diagnosis and treatment of cervical vagal schwannoma and the causes of misdiagnosis and preventive measures. Case Presentation: A case of cervical vagal schwannoma misdiagnosed as nodular goiter by ultrasonography was analyzed retrospectively. This patient was found to have pain in the neck for 1 month and then went to our hospital for treatment. After admission, a 5 cm × 4 cm mass was found on the left side of the neck, with a medium texture and clear margin. It could move with swallowing. Initially ultrasound showed a well circumscribed hypoechoic mass in the left thyroid lobe, which is suggestive of hemorrhage of thyroid nodule. Biopsy of thyroid nodules after ultrasound guided biopsy revealed Schwannoma. Surgical treatment and postoperative pathological examination confirmed cervical vagal schwannoma. The patient recovered well and was discharged 9 days after operation. Conclusion: The location of thyroid schwannoma is rare, the relationship between thyroid schwannoma and surrounding tissues is unclear, and there is no typical ultrasonic manifestation. Moreover, if doctors are not aware of their knowledge, it is easy to cause misdiagnosis. Radiologists should raise awareness of the disease and carefully analyze the results of ultrasonography in combination with the clinical manifestations of the patients so as to reduce or avoid misdiagnosis of cervical schwannoma.

Total Thyroidectomy in Multinodular Goiter: An African Experience

Introduction: Total thyroidectomy is an operation that involves the surgical removal of the whole thyroid gland, with the preservation of the parathyroid glands. The aim of the present study was to assess the complication rates of total thyroidectomy on benign indication and first-time thyroid surgery and investigate the early outcome after opotherapy. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, patients who underwent total thyroidectomy for benign multinodular goiter in the department of thoracic surgery in our Hospital from January 2012 to December 2014 were included. In postoperative time, we evaluated surgical complication, histopathological examination and opotherapy. Results: A total 53 patients underwent total thyroidectomy for multmodular goiter;they were 49 (92.45%) bilateral and 4 (7.55%) unilateral (recurrence). The mean age was 47 years and mean diameter of goiter was 10.75 cm. Among the patients 88.68% were females and 11.32% were male. Preoperative hormonal statuses were (70%) in euthyroid and (30%) hyperthyroid following surgery complications like transient laryngeal nerve palsy (3.77%), transient hypocalcemia (7.55%), hematoma (1.9%) and wound infection (1.9%). On histopathological examination of the surgical specimen, 5.7% were reported to be malignant. Six month following surgery 92.45% of patients was a good hormonal balance. Conclusion: Total thyroidectomy for multinodular goiter has a low morbidity and mortality;this procedure olves both the problem of recurrence of disease and reintervention. The opotherapy is doable with a good hormonal balance.

Management of a Compressive Goiter at Term

Pregnant women sometimes have thyroid disease, and thus goiter;however, it does not become so large to the extent that the goiter obstructs the air way, causing respiratory symptoms. Here, we report such a case. A 27-year-old woman with large goiter presented with life threatening stridor at 37 weeks. After a multidisciplinary-team discussion, we performed caesarean section plus thyroidectomy, which resulted in good outcomes. Histological examination revealed hyperplasia and not malignancy. The postoperative course was uneventful. The mother and infant were healthy.

Amyloid Goiter: Clinicopathological Assessment of Two Cases and Review of Literature

Amyloid goiter (AG) is a rare but well-established disease entity that may occur in a number of conditions. In the following article, we will report two cases of AG. Both patients were young males: 28 & 24 years old, presented with rapidly enlarging thyroid gland manifested with pressure effects (dyspnea and hoarseness of voice). Provisional clinical diagnosis was malignant thyroid neoplasm. One of the patients was markedly hypothyroid while the other was euthyroid. Histopathological evaluation revealed extracellular deposition of deep pink homogenous material that was confirmed as amyloid with congo red. Patient in case 1 was primary localized AG while patient in case 2 was systemic amyloidosis secondary to interstitial pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) that was first manifested by AG. The main aims of the article were to describe histopathological features of amyloidosis of the thyroid gland and to raise awareness of AG to be included in the differential diagnosis in patients presented with rapidly enlarging goiter with mass effects.

Assessment of Endemic Goiter of Children in Eastern Sudan (Kassala State) Using Ultrasonography and ELISA

Thyroid gland is one of most important endocrine glands in the body. It plays vital role in growth control and its measurements tends to change in respect to age, sex, weight and ethnic group of the individual. This study aimed to assess endemic goiter and to estimate the measurement of normal thyroid gland dimensions and thyroid hormones level in school-aged children using Ultrasonography and ELISA Technique in Eastern Sudan (Kassala state). A total of 100 subjects is 6 - 18 years (43 males, 57 females), and mean of age (9.73 ± 2.54 years). This study was done in the period from April 2016 to February 2017. All the subject undergone thyroid ultrasound and thyroid hormone level test. Subjects with history of goiter were excluded from the study, by thyroid dimension (length, height and diameter). Thyroid volume was estimated using ellipsoid formula and thyroid hormones (TSH, T3 and T4) using Toso full automation. The study revealed that 12 subjects of the study (12%) with goiter, 7 female (7%) and 5 males (5%) with age ranged 6 - 11 years with increase in TSH and T3 and decrease in T4 level. The mean of thyroid volumes for normal subject and subject of goiter are 4.93 ± 0.63, 5.4 ± 1.4 mL, respectively, and TSH, T3, T4 (1.8 ± 0.97, 2.4 ± 0.86 UIu/nL), (3.61 ± 0.32, 3.8 ± 0.55 Pg/Nl), (1.35 ± 1.23 ng/DI level respectively). It concluded that there was positive correlations between the age and the thyroid volume (p = 0.65). It increases with increase of the age. The Rt lobe is larger than the Lt lobe;the thyroid volume is higher in male than female, and this study found the TSH and T3 decreased with ages while T4 increased with ages in normal subject;TSH and T3 level increased and T4 level decreased in goiter children.

Treatment of cervico-mediastinal goiters

AIM: To compare our ten year results for thyroidectomy for cervico-mediastinal goiters with the best surgical treatment reported in the literature.METHODS: From January 2000 to December 2009, of 1530 patients who underwent thyroidectomy in our department, we selected 105 cases of cervico-mediastinal goiter. In the majority of cases, the cervical approach is the standard procedure and only occasionally sternotomy or thoracotomy is necessary. The indications for surgery are generally related to a progressive increase of the thyroid mass into the anterior mediastinum with compression and dislocation of the trachea or esophagus and the possibility of an unknown malignancy.RESULTS: In 98(93.3%) of our 105 patients, the standard surgical approach was anterior cervicotomy followed by total thyroidectomy. In three cases, total sternotomy was performed and in the remaining four patients, a partial split sternotomy was effective to remove the intrathoracic mass. Post-operative complications included transient recurrent laryngeal nerve palsyin 6 patients(5.7%) which only became permanent in 2 patients(1.9%). The transient hypoparathyroidism rate was 22% but 2 mo after surgery permanent hypoparathyroidism was confirmed in only 2% of our selected group. No patients required temporary tracheostomy following surgery related to a possible bilateral nerve palsy. Patients received a single prophylactic antibiotic dose preoperatively and wound infections were not significant. There was no mortality in our selected group and most patients showed a significant improvement of dyspnea and other correlated symptoms postoperatively.CONCLUSION: The majority of cervico mediastinal goiters can be completely removed through a cervical incision. In selected cases, generally malignancies with local infiltration of mediastinal soft tissues and adhesions to large vessels, split sternotomy may be a safer approach to not increase morbidity.

Psychosocial Experience in Goiter Patients

Introduction: Goiter often poses aesthetic disgrace problem. The psychosocial impacts of goiter, in particular in woman may be significant. Objective: studying the psychological and social impacts of the disease in goiter patients within the African context and their consequences on the treatment. Methods: It was a transversal study that took place from May 1to July 31, 2011 in the Collines and Donga departments situated in the center and the north of Benin. The study consisted of a survey conducted through an individual discussion based on questionnaire submitted to goiter patients who accepted to provide their answers. Results: This survey involved 86 patients of which 83 women and 3 men. Their average age was 43.7 ± 13.41. Goiter was noticeable in the totality of the patients. 68.6% of patients declared that they experienced on daily basis the shame caused by the disease. 66% thought that it was a natural disease;however, 27.9% believed that it was caused by bewitchment or sorcery. 46.5% and 37.2% resorted to modern and indigenous medicine respectively;16.3% made no therapeutic move. Despite the psychosocial impacts of the disease, 50% of the patients rejected surgical intervention possibility. The core motives they raised were lack of financial means (34.8%), disease recurrence fright (23.3%), anesthesia fright (16.3%), and surgical fright (14%). Conclusion: Despite the psychological impacts of the disease, strong resistance exists probably more on cultural aspect than the motives mentioned by thyroidectomy patients.

Prenatal Diagnosis and Management of Fetal Goiter Treated Successfully with Intra-Amniotic Levothyroxine

Goiter is an enlargement of the thyroid gland which can be associated with a number of complications both for the mother and the fetus. A 34-year-old pregnant woman with normal thyroid function was referred to our Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Microcitemico Pediatric Hospital, Cagliari, for suspected fetal goiter at 32 gestational weeks. The case was monitored regularly by ultrasound and treated successfully with intra-amniotic levothyroxine (L-T4) administration. Fetal goiter was observed to decrease after this treatment and the thyroid ultrasound findings were also normal both at birth and in subsequent follow-ups. Our case report confirms the feasibility of conservative treatment with L-T4, which can effectively prevent complications related to fetal goiter.