The fate and function of the thyroid remnant. A surgical and radioactive iodine study

Abstract

Abstract Clinical, radioactive iodine uptake, and scan studies on a series of measured thyroid remnants indicate that after thyroidectomy one lobe only actively functions in a significant number of cases and that the subthyroid state only appears in toxic cases, usually those with certain pathological, familial, or therapeutically induced changes. Remnant size did not appear to be critical, but under-function did not occur over 8 c.c. Above this size of residuum hypothyroidism does not appear to be directly due to the operation per se and should not therefore be called postoperative. A fall in the assessment parameters after 6 months in a toxic case with a remnant measuring less than 8 c.c. and one or more of the associated features mentioned above would be an indication for commencing thyroxine. Minor degrees of lymphocytic infiltration did not correlate directly with under-function. There was a suggestion of right-sided dominance in the remnant as in normal and diseased glands.