title: Vasovagal reflex emergency caused by Riedel's thyroiditis: A case report and review of the literature.
abstract: Riedel's thyroiditis is a rare type of chronic thyroiditis, associated with fibroinflammatory process and invasion into surrounding tissues, leading to compressive symptoms. A 45-year-old man had a left thyroid mass, presenting with hypotension and bradycardia many times. He was diagnosed with vasovagal reflex caused by cervical vessel compression due to a thyroid lesion. We performed the emergency operation, and most of the left thyroid was removed to relieve the compression on cervical vessels. The result of pathology proved to be Riedel's thyroiditis. The vasovagal reflex did not occur any more during the 28-month follow up, except on the 3(rd) day after the surgery. Six months after the thyroidectomy, the patient was found to have retroperitoneal fibrosis, diagnosed by biopsy during a laparotomy for biliary disease. Riedel's thyroiditis can lead to a vasovagal episode and might not be a primary thyroid disease but rather a manifestation of the systemic disorder, multifocal fibrosclerosis.
authors: Department of General Surgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China.
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Cai
authors: Department of General Surgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China. Electronic address: kanghua@xwh.ccmu.edu.cn.
authors: Hua
authors: H
authors: Kang
authors: Department of General Surgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China.
authors: Tao
authors: T
authors: Hai
mesh_terms: D001919:Bradycardia / Q000209:etiology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D007022:Hypotension / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012018:Reflex; D012185:Retroperitoneal Fibrosis / Q000150:complications / Q000151:congenital* / Q000175:diagnosis; D013966:Thyroiditis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis
keywords: Riedel's thyroiditis; diagnosis; vasovagal reflex