title: Thyroidectomy for life threatening giant familial goitre.
abstract: Urgent thyroidectomy for giant multinodular goitre causing airway obstruction was necessary in the mater familias of a family with a high prevalence of non-endemic goitre. Post operative complications are briefly discussed. Family screening revealed a 100% incidence of nodular goitre in eight first generation descendants with hyperthyroidism in one. A euthyroid pattern was found in 6 of these, as well as in 5 of 19 second generation descendants tested. In two of the first generation descendants dyshormonogenesis was excluded as an aetiological factor by the perchlorate discharge test.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000209:etiology; D004630:Emergencies; D005260:Female; D006044:Goiter, Nodular / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D010375:Pedigree; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D013965:Thyroidectomy