Acute suppurative thyroiditis in a primary intrathoracic goiter.
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.
McHenry
C R
CR
Department of Surgery, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio 44109-1998, USA.
Paras
F
F
Liu
Y C
YC
Rodgers
M
M