PURPOSE: To investigate associations between serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor antibody (TRAb) levels and Graves' orbitopathy (GO) activity/severity in chronic-stage GO and compare the performance of two newly-developed TRAb assays (third-generation TSH-binding inhibition immunoglobulin [TBII] assay versus Mc4 thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin [TSI] bioassay). METHODS: This study is a retrospective review of medical charts and blood tests from Korean GO patients who first visited the departments of ophthalmology and endocrinology, Yonsei University College of Medicine from January 2008 to December 2011, were diagnosed with GO and Graves' hyperthyroidism, and were followed up for > or =18 months. Third-generation M22-TBII and Mc4-TSI assays were performed in the chronic-inactive GO patients in whom euthyroidism status was restored. Patients' GO activity/severity clinical activity scores (CAS), and modified NOSPECS scores were examined for a correlation with TRAb assays. RESULTS: Fifty patients (mean age, 41.3 years; 41 females) were analyzed. The mean duration of Graves' hyperthyroidism symptom was 63 months (range, 18 to 401 months) and that of GO was 46 months (range, 18 to 240 months). All patients had been treated previously with anti-thyroid drugs for a median period of 52.3 months, and two patients underwent either radioiodine therapy or total thyroidectomy. Mean CAS and NOSPECS scores were 0.5 +/- 0.9 (standard deviation) and 4.8 +/- 3.1, respectively. Mean M22-TBII and Mc4-TSI values were 7.5 +/- 10.2 IL/L and 325.9 +/- 210.1 specimen-to-reference control ratio. TSI was significantly correlated with NOSPECS score (R = 0.479, p < 0.001); however, TBII was not associated with NOSPECS score (p = 0.097). Neither TSI nor TBII correlated with CAS (p > 0.05), because GO inflammatory activity subsided in the chronic stages of GO. CONCLUSIONS: In chronic-inactive GO after euthyroid restoration, GO activity score did not associate with serum levels of TRAb or TBII. However, levels of the functional antibody Mc4-TSI did correlate with GO severity. Therefore, the TSI bioassay is a clinically relevant measure of disease severity even in chronic inactive GO.
Adult ; Autoantibodies/*blood/immunology ; Chronic Disease ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Graves Ophthalmopathy/*blood/diagnosis/immunology ; Humans ; Male ; Receptors, Thyrotropin/*blood/immunology ; Retrospective Studies ; Severity of Illness Index

PURPOSE: To report clinical characteristics of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) in patients who previously underwent total thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer or a benign mass of the thyroid. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of the patients who were diagnosed with TAO from March 2008 to March 2012, we performed a retrospective chart review on those who had undergone total thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer or a benign mass of the thyroid before the occurrence of ophthalmopathy. RESULTS: Of the 206 patients diagnosed with TAO, seven (3.4%) met the inclusion criteria. The mean age of the subjects was 47.4 years, and all were female. Six patients were diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer, and one was diagnosed with a benign mass. The duration between total thyroidectomy and onset of TAO ranged from 3-120 months (median 48 months). Ophthalmic manifestations varied among cases. Except for the patient who was diagnosed with a benign mass, all patients showed hyperthyroid status and were under Synthroid hormone treatment at the time of TAO development. Five of these six patients had positive levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor autoantibodies. CONCLUSION: TAO rarely develops after total thyroidectomy, and the mechanism of TAO occurrence is unclear. However, most patients showed abnormalities in thyroid function and TSH receptor autoantibodies.
Adult ; Aged ; Autoantibodies/blood ; Carcinoma ; Carcinoma, Papillary/immunology/surgery ; Female ; Graves Ophthalmopathy/*diagnosis/immunology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications/etiology/immunology/pathology ; Receptors, Thyrotropin ; Retrospective Studies ; Thyroid Neoplasms/complications/*surgery ; Thyroidectomy/adverse effects/*methods ; Thyrotropin/blood ; Treatment Outcome