Successful intrauterine therapy for fetal goitrous hypothyroidism during late gestation.
We experienced a case of fetal goitrous hypothyroidism in an infant delivered by a 33-year-old woman receiving 300 mg/day of propylthiouracil (PTU) for hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease. A large fetal goiter (maximum diameter, 60 mm) was detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 36 weeks of gestation. Initial fetal blood sampling revealed hypothyroidism with a serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) of 99 microIU/mL, free triiodothyronine (T(3)) of 1.97 pg/mL, and free thyroxine (T(4)) of 0.29 ng/dL. Consequently, a diagnosis of fetal goitrous hypothyroidism due to transplacental passage of maternal PTU was made. To reduce the risk of perinatal complications, 300 microg of levothyroxine sodium (L-T(4)) was administered into the maternal amniotic fluid twice between 37 and 38 weeks of gestation. Subsequent fetal MRI showed that the size of goiter had decreased. At 38 weeks and 5 days of gestation, a 3042-g male infant was born by cesarean section. There were no severe complications at delivery, although mild tachypnea was observed and the infant's thyroid gland was slightly enlarged. He was treated with L-T(4) for two weeks. At present, his growth and neurological development are normal. This case indicates that intrauterine therapy by the intraamniotic administration of L-T(4) can be effective in treating fetal goitrous hypothyroidism even during late gestation.
Miyata
Ichiro
I
Department of Pediatrics, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Abe-Gotyo
Noriko
N
Tajima
Asako
A
Yoshikawa
Hideki
H
Teramoto
Satoshi
S
Seo
Masami
M
Kanno
Kei-Ichi
K
Sugiura
Kentaro
K
Tanaka
Tadao
T
Eto
Yoshikatsu
Y
D000328:Adult; D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000187:drug effects; D013956:Antithyroid Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003409:Congenital Hypothyroidism / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D046128:Fetal Therapies; D005865:Gestational Age; D006042:Goiter / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D006980:Hyperthyroidism / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D011441:Propylthiouracil / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D013956:Antithyroid Agents; D011441:Propylthiouracil; D013974:Thyroxine