Acute suppurative thyroiditis is a rare and potentially fatal condition. We present a case of an 18-year-old Malay female who presented with one-week history of painful right sided neck swelling, fever and odynophagia. Neck CT confirms ruptured multiloculated abscess with posterosuperior extension into prevertebral space. Pus and tissue cultured Streptococcus anginosus and Eikenella corrodens with positive TB PCR. She responded well to ampicillin/sulbactam and anti-tuberculosis treatment with no evidence of residual collection from ultrasound.
Thyroiditis, Suppurative

A 23 months-old girl visited the hospital because of fever and left neck mass. She was diagnosed as acute suppurative thyroiditis with piriform sinus fistula. Thyroid sonography showed perithyroidal abscess formation and thyroid scan showed decreased uptake of Tc-99m pertechnate of both thyroid glands. Magnetic resonance imaging of neck showed abscess cavity extending to the swollen left thyroid gland. And there was tiny fistula between thyroid and piriform sinus in the barium esophagogram. Streptococcus gordonii was isolated on needle aspiration culture. We report a case of piriform sinus fistula of the neck complicated with suppurative thyroiditis. The fistula was treated with chemocauterization using trichloroacetic acid.
Abscess ; Barium ; Female ; Fever ; Fistula* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neck ; Needles ; Pyriform Sinus* ; Streptococcus gordonii ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroiditis, Suppurative* ; Trichloroacetic Acid*

We report a case of acute suppurative thyroiditis complicated by idiopathic hypoparathyroidism. The patient was a 49-year-old female who visited our clinic with a painful goiter on the left lobe of the thyroid gland. She was hypocalcemic, which was accompanied unusually by acute suppurative thyroiditis. She also suffered from tetany of both hands and legs. She had undergone a right subtotal thyroidectomy at another hospital 23 years previously due to a benign thyroid nodule. Intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels were increased, but other laboratory findings were normal. No special treatment was administered for the acute suppurative thyroiditis, except antibiotics, to observe its natural course. Her PTH levels decreased and serum calcium returned to normal. The complication of acute suppurative thyroiditis suggested the possible involvement of idiopathic hypoparathyroidism.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Calcium ; Female ; Goiter ; Hand ; Humans ; Hypocalcemia* ; Hypoparathyroidism ; Leg ; Middle Aged ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Tetany ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Nodule ; Thyroidectomy ; Thyroiditis, Suppurative*

Acute suppurative thyroiditis is a rare disease because the thyroid gland is remarkably resistant to infection. We present a 2-year-old girl with refractory acute suppurative thyroiditis due to a pyriform sinus fistula (PSF). She complained of fever and painful anterior neck swelling. Her condition did not completely improved by multiple parenteral antibiotics along with incision and drainage. Barium esophagogram to detect PSF demonstrated no specific finding. Computed tomography scan showed air bubble superior to the left thyroid gland which indicated a possible fistula connected to the pyriform sinus. An intraoperative laryngoscopy revealed a 2-mm-sized fistula opening. The fistula was successfully treated by chemocauterization with trichloroacetic acid.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Barium ; Cautery ; Child, Preschool ; Drainage ; Female ; Fever ; Fistula* ; Humans ; Laryngoscopy ; Neck ; Pyriform Sinus* ; Rare Diseases ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroiditis ; Thyroiditis, Suppurative* ; Trichloroacetic Acid

Branchioma ; complications ; Child ; Female ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; complications ; Humans ; Thyroiditis, Suppurative ; complications

Riedel's thyroiditis (RT) is a rare chronic inflammatory disease of the thyroid gland. It is characterized by a fibroinflammatory process that partially destroys the gland and extends into adjacent neck structures. Its clinical manifestation can mask an accompanying thyroid neoplasm and can mimic invasive thyroid carcinoma. Therefore, diagnosis can be difficult prior to surgical removal of the thyroid, and histopathologic examination of the thyroid is necessary for a definite diagnosis. The concurrent presence of RT and other thyroid diseases has been reported. However, to our knowledge, the association of RT with acute suppurative thyroiditis and micropapillary carcinoma has not been reported. We report a rare case of concurrent RT, acute suppurative thyroiditis, and micropapillary carcinoma in a 48-year-old patient.
Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma/*complications/diagnosis/therapy ; Female ; Hashimoto Disease/*complications/diagnosis/therapy ; Hormone Replacement Therapy ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Middle Aged ; Thyroid Neoplasms/*complications/diagnosis/therapy ; Thyroidectomy ; Thyroiditis/*complications/diagnosis/therapy ; Thyroiditis, Suppurative/*complications/diagnosis/therapy ; Thyroxine/therapeutic use ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome

Acute suppurative thyroiditis (AST) is a rare condition, as the thyroid gland is relatively resistant to infection. Thyroid function tests are usually normal in AST. A few cases of AST associated with thyrotoxicosis have been reported in adults. We report a case of AST that was associated with thyrotoxicosis in a 70-year-old woman. We diagnosed AST with thyroid ultrasonography and fine needle aspiration of pus. The patient improved after surgical intervention and had no anatomical abnormality. Fine needle aspiration is the best method for the difficult task of differentiating malignancy and subacute thyroiditis from AST with thyrotoxicosis. Earlier diagnosis and proper treatment for AST might improve the outcome.
Adult ; Aged ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Female ; Humans ; Suppuration ; Thyroid Function Tests ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroiditis, Subacute ; Thyroiditis, Suppurative ; Thyrotoxicosis

Acute suppurative thyroiditis is an uncommon infectious thyroid disease affecting mainly children and young adults. The route of infection is frequently a pyriform sinus fistula. The major pathogens responsible for acute bacterial suppurative thyroiditis are the Streptococcus and Staphylococcus species. In contrast, Actinomyces species are a very rare cause of acute suppurative thyroiditis. We experienced a case of a 23-year-old man who has presented general weakness and neck pain. Thyroid ultrasonography showed an ill-defined area of heterogeneous hypoechogenicity in the left lobe of the thyroid gland. Histologic examination by fine needle aspiration demonstrated gram-positive, filamentous-like organisms with branching hyphae and characteristic sulfur granules. Barium esophagogram showed a linear barium-filled track at the left pyriform sinus. We report a case of actinomycotic thyroiditis in a young adult with pyriform sinus fistula along with a brief review of related literature.
Actinomyces ; Actinomycosis ; Adult ; Barium ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Child ; Fistula ; Humans ; Hyphae ; Neck Pain ; Pyriform Sinus ; Staphylococcus ; Streptococcus ; Sulfur ; Thyroid Diseases ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroiditis ; Thyroiditis, Suppurative ; Track and Field ; Young Adult

Acute suppurative thyroiditis is an uncommon condition because the thyroid gland is remarkably resistant to infection. In children, anatomic defects, such as a left piriform sinus fistula, predispose subjects to this infection. It is very important yet difficult to differentiate acute thyroiditis with thyrotoxicosis from subacute thyroiditis; and if left untreated, acute suppurative thyroiditis can lead to thyroid abscess formation. Bacterial infections with staphylococcus and streptococcus species are the most common causes of acute suppurative thyroiditis. Occasionally, the thyroid gland can be infected with fungi, parasites, or mycobacterium. An 8-year-old boy presented with acute fever and tender neck swelling. The patient was admitted to the hospital and was diagnosed with acute suppurative thyroiditis. The culture result of the drained fluid revealed methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The patient's condition improved after the use of antibiotics and drainage. There was no evidence of fistula formation between the thyroid and the pyriform sinus on a computed tomography (CT) scan. Here we describe rapidly progressive thyroid abscesses caused by MRSA in healthy children.
Abscess ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacterial Infections ; Child ; Drainage ; Fever ; Fistula ; Fungi ; Humans ; Methicillin ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Mycobacterium ; Neck ; Parasites ; Pyriform Sinus ; Staphylococcus ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Streptococcus ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroiditis ; Thyroiditis, Suppurative ; Thyrotoxicosis

Acute suppurative thryroiditis is a rare disease because the thyroid gland is resistant to infection. Thyroid function tests are usually normal in acute suppurative thryroiditis. We care for a patient with acute suppurative thryroiditis and associated thyrotoxicosis. A 73-year-old diabetic woman presented with pain over the thyroid gland and an elevated serum thyroid hormone level and decreased radioiodine uptake, as occurs in subacute thyroiditis. A neck computed tomography showed an abscess in the right lobe of the thyroid gland. A neutrophilic infiltration was shown in a fine needle aspiration biopsy, and Gram negative Burkholderia gladioli grew from the aspirate culture. Antibiotic treatment ameliorated the symptoms of infection, followed by normalization of thyroid function.
Abscess ; Aged ; Biopsy ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Burkholderia gladioli ; Female ; Humans ; Neck ; Neutrophils ; Rare Diseases ; Thyroid Function Tests ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroiditis, Subacute ; Thyroiditis, Suppurative ; Thyrotoxicosis