Endocrinol Metab.  2013 Mar;28(1):50-54. 10.3803/EnM.2013.28.1.50.

A Case of Acute Suppurative Thyroiditis with Thyrotoxicosis in an Elderly Patient

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. dongsun@hanyang.ac.kr

Abstract

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.

Keyword

Thyroiditis, suppurative; Biopsy, fine-needle; Thyrotoxicosis

MeSH Terms

Adult
Aged
Biopsy, Fine-Needle
Female
Humans
Suppuration
Thyroid Function Tests
Thyroid Gland
Thyroiditis, Subacute
Thyroiditis, Suppurative
Thyrotoxicosis

Figure

  • Fig. 1 The 99mTc thyroid scan showed nonvisualization of thyroid gland.

  • Fig. 2 Computed tomography scan showed a large, multiseptated, low attenuated mass in the right thyroid lobe and enlarged lymph node in the right neck level IV, V, and VI areas.

  • Fig. 3 Ultrasonography of the neck revealed a right thyroid mass of about 4.5×2.5×4.6 cm with heterogeneously increased internal echogenicity.

  • Fig. 4 Chocolate-colored pus was obtained through fine needle aspiration.


Cited by  2 articles

Infection of Thyroid Cyst Occurring 1 Month after Fine-Needle Aspiration in an Immunocompetent Patient
Jung Kyu Park, Eon Ju Jeon
Int J Thyroidol. 2018;11(2):182-188.    doi: 10.11106/ijt.2018.11.2.182.

Brief Review of Articles in 'Endocrinology and Metabolism' in 2013
Won-Young Lee
Endocrinol Metab. 2014;29(3):251-256.    doi: 10.3803/EnM.2014.29.3.251.


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