title: Hyperthyroidism of Graves' disease: evidence for only unilateral involvement of the thyroid gland in a 31-year-old female patient.
abstract: Hyperthyroidism of Graves' disease (Morbus Basedow) is known to involve the thyroid gland in toto, unlike Graves' ophthalmopathy which clinically may either be unilateral or bilateral. We report a 31-year-old Caucasian female patient who presented with unilateral goiter and clinical and laboratory evidence for hyperthyroidism. High-resolution ultrasonography of the thyroid gland revealed a morphology indicative of an autoimmune thyroid disease strictly limited only to the right lobe. 123I-scintiscanning showed a homogenous but several fold increased uptake of the radionuclide in the right lobe of the thyroid gland, whereas the uptake in the left lobe did not differ from the uptake in normal controls. Cytology of the fine needle aspirate of the right lobe revealed a remarkable inflammatory background mainly by presence of lymphocytes, a finding which was not seen in the cytology of the left lobe. Furthermore, both serum antibodies to TSH-receptors and thyroid peroxidase were significantly increased. Consequently, hyperthyroidism of Graves' disease with the involvement of only one lobe of the thyroid gland was diagnosed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Dimai
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramschak-Schwarzer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lax
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Lipp
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leb
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D013956:Antithyroid Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D005260:Female; D006042:Goiter / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007453:Iodide Peroxidase / Q000276:immunology; D008713:Methimazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D011989:Receptors, Thyrotropin / Q000276:immunology; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000276:immunology; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000097:blood; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D013956:Antithyroid Agents; D001323:Autoantibodies; D011989:Receptors, Thyrotropin; D014284:Triiodothyronine; D008713:Methimazole; D013972:Thyrotropin; D013954:Thyroglobulin; D007453:Iodide Peroxidase; D013974:Thyroxine