Surgical Treatment of Graves' Disease.
- Author:
Dae Jhun HWANG
1
;
Sang Dal LEE
;
Seok Jin NAM
;
Youn Ryun OH
;
Jae Hoon CHUNG
;
Jung Hyun YANG
Author Information
1. Department of General Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Thyroid, Graves' disease;
Thyroidectomy
- MeSH:
Europe;
Female;
Graves Disease*;
Hoarseness;
Humans;
Hypocalcemia;
Hypothyroidism;
Male;
Neck;
Recurrence;
Retrospective Studies;
Thyroid Gland;
Thyroidectomy;
United States;
Vocal Cord Paralysis;
Weight Loss
- From:Journal of the Korean Surgical Society
2000;58(4):494-501
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
PURPOSE: Graves' disease can be treated with antithyroid medication, radioiodine, or a thyroidectomy. Antithyroid medication is less likely to achieve a permanent remission than radioiodine or thyroidectomy. Radioiodine is preferred in the United States and antithyroid medication is used more often in Europe. However a thyroidectomy is less preferred as a primary therapy and is used only in the cases of recurrence or no response to medication. METHODS: We studied 152 patients with Graves' disease who had been treated at Samsung Medical Center. Fifty seven patients of them were surgically managed after antithyroid medication, and the rest of them were managed medically. Patient's age, sex, symptoms, thyroid fuction, autoantibody, treatment method and recurrence were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Women had Graves' disease more frequently than men a thyroidectomy was performed more often in women and relatively young patients. The symptoms of Graves' disease were neck mass, palpitation, eye symptoms, weight loss and etc. The response to treatment was much higher in the thyroidectomy group than in the medically treated group. And more patients in surgically treatmented group had their thyroid function normalized. A subtotal thyroidectomy was performed in all patient and a mean of 7.4 g of thyroid tissue was remained. Hypothyroidism was noted in 7 patients (12.3%), permanent hypocalcemia in 1 (1.8%), vocal cord paralysis in 1 (1.8%) and transient hoarseness, transient hypocalcemia in the others. Recurrences were noted in 4 patients. There was no correlation between recurrence and remnant thyroid mass. However, preoperative TBII (thyrotropine binding inhibiting immunoglobulin) values were higher in recurrence group and immediate and late postoperative values were also higher than in the recovered group. CONCLUSION: A thyroidectomy is the treatment of choice in Graves' disease. However, further investigation will be needed to predict thyroid the function after a thyroidectomy for Graves' disease
