title: Acute suppurative thyroiditis in a primary intrathoracic goiter.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe a case of acute suppurative thyroiditis and focal abscess formation in a patient with a primary intrathoracic goiter.
  
  
  METHODS
  We summarize the initial clinical manifestations, the pathologic findings, and the surgical treatment of a woman with an enlarging mediastinal mass.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A 41-year-old woman had a fever and a sudden increase in severity of compressive symptoms after a remote urinary tract infection. Smears from an intraoperative fine-needle aspiration biopsy showed necrotic debris, polymorphonuclear leukocytes, hemosiderin-laden macrophages, and degenerated follicular epithelial cells. Urine and tissue cultures grew Escherichia coli. The patient underwent resection of an 800-g primary intrathoracic goiter with associated degeneration, necrosis, hemorrhage, and abscess formation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of acute suppurative thyroiditis and abscess formation occurring within a primary intrathoracic goiter.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio 44109-1998, USA.
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: McHenry
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Paras
authors.forename: Y C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodgers