title: Surgery-induced thyroiditis following laryngectomy.
abstract: A 77-year-old euthyroid man developed atrial fibrillation on the fourth post-operative day following a total laryngectomy and right radical neck dissection including a hemi-thyroidectomy for a squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx with nodal metastases. The episode of atrial fibrillation coincided with an elevated serum free thyroxine of 3.36 ng/dl (43.3 pmol/L) (reference values: 0.71-1.85 ng/dl or 9.1-23.8 pmol/L), normal total triiodothyronine of 104 ng/dl (1.6 nmol/L) (reference values: 46-137 ng/dl or 0.7-2.1 nmol/L) and a suppressed thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) of 0.05 mIU/L (reference values: 0.35-5.0 mIU/L). These values, in relation to those prior and subsequent, suggested a surgery-induced thyroiditis. The limited literature about this controversial entity is reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, St. John's Hospital, Livingston, West Lothian, UK.
authors.forename: E J S M
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Blenke
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Vernham
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ellis
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D007825:Laryngectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D037981:Neck Dissection; D013966:Thyroiditis / Q000209:etiology*