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.

Surgical Approaches to Retrosternal Goiter, When Sternotomy Is Mandatory? National Cancer Institute Experience (NCI), Cairo University, Egypt

Background: Retrosternal goiters (RG) are those lesions extending to occupy the thoracic cavity. They carry a surgical risk due to distorted anatomy, the minimal access, and the potential for great vessels or pleural injury. No other effective therapeutic alternative to surgery exists. Cervicotomy is still the surgical approach of choice, although a form of sternotomy may always be necessary for field extension and safe gland delivery. Materials and Methods: This is a single institution combined retrospective & prospective study including retrospective analysis of all cases presenting to the NCI, Cairo University with RG candidate for surgery between Jan. 2008 until the end of Dec. 2012, and a prospective study of all cases with the same presentation presenting to the NCI between Jan. 2013 until the end of Dec. 2015. Data was collected from archive of patients at the statistical department. Aims: To study the clinico-pathological characteristics, the presentation, work-up, surgical approaches and postoperative complications of RG. Results: 42 patients were included & were divided into benign (34 patients, 80.9%) and malignant groups (8 cases, 19.1%). All patients (100%) were adults ranging (19 to 73 years) with mean 53.1 years. There was a female predominance (36 female, 85.7%) versus (6 males, 14.3%). Median duration of symptomatology was 23 months ranging (6 - 53 months). 23 patients (54.7%) were symptomatic while 19 cases (45.3%) accidently discovered. Mean tumor size was 9.97 cm in the benign group and 11.1 cm in the malignant group. 31 patients (73.8%) were euthyroid, 9 (21.4%) were thyrotoxic and 2 (4.7%) were hypothyroid. All patients (100%) underwent total thyroidectomy. The commonest approach was cervicotomy (33 cases, 78.6%), while a type of sternotomy was done in 9 cases (21.4%). 2 cases (4.7%) received postoperative radiation therapy & 4 cases (9.5%) received postoperative radioactive iodine. No perioperative mortality occurred & the overall morbidity was 6 cases (14.2%) in the benign group and 2 cases (4.7%) in the malignant group (4.7%). The median follow up period was 17.5 months. The median overall survival (OS) was 39.4 months and the median disease free survival (DFS) was 9.8 months for the malignant group. Conclusion: Cervicotomy is a safe favorable approach to remove a RG. Intraoperative field extension up to a form of sternotomy may be necessary for gland delivery with increasing operating time, hospital stay and morbidity. Postoperative morbidity is mainly due to the respiratory, recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy and hypoparathyroidism which is mainly increased when sternotomy is performed.

DIAGNOSIS AND SURGICAL MANAGEMENT FOR RETROSTERNAL THYROID MASS

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Simultaneous coronary artery bypass grafting,replacement of the innominate artery and subtotal thyroidectomy in a 61 year-old patient:a case-report

The management of patients with coexisting diseases who undergo cardiac surgery is a subject to controversial discussions as the operative mortality is thought to be increased by simultaneous procedures. Traditionally, the surgical procedures have been staged with the cardiac surgery performed first followed by the visceral operation at a later date. However, especially in cases of malignant disease (e. g. pulmonary or abdominal) the curative treatment is delayed and the additional costs of two settings have to be considered. 1 Although encouraging results have been reported concerning simultaneous pulmonary tumor resection, carotid endarterectomy or abdominal aneurysm repair, 2-5 detailed knowledge concerning further coexisting non-cardiac diseases requiring surgical therapy is still lacking. In some extremely rare cases patients suffer from more than just one coexisting disease of different origins: the current report focuses on a 61-year-old female patient suffering from ischemic heart disease, occlusion of the innominate artery and a retrosternal goiter as an incidental finding. She was treated in a simultaneous procedure with three operations in only one setting. The perioperative features of this special case are reflected in the following course.