title: Volume changes in remnant thyroid tissue after thyroidectomy in Graves disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Surgery is one of the treatment choices for Graves disease. The residual thyroid tissue may shrink or become larger. The object of this study was trying to find out what factors affect the residual thyroid gland volume change after thyroidectomy in Graves disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We followed thyroid volume changes by ultrasonography in 101 patients with Graves disease who underwent one side lobectomy and another side subtotal thyroidectomy from 1996 to 2006. These patients were divided into three groups according to the residual thyroid size increasing, no change in size, and shrinking. We checked the factors as follows: age, body weight, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level, TSH-receptor antibody level, anti-thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibody level, total thyroid volume before and after thyroidectomy, and degree of lymphocyte infiltration.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that young age and lower residual volume ratio were the most powerful two factors affecting remnant thyroid gland volume changing. We also found that there is no significant correlation between TSH levels and thyroid volume change, nor TSH-receptor antibody titer or thyroid volume change.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Age and residual volume ratio were the most powerful two factors in this study.
authors.affiliation: National Cheng Kung University, College of Medicine and Hospital, Dou-Liou Branch, Yunlin, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Pei-Yin
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Yunlin, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Cheng-Min
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Ta-Jen
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, ROC. Electronic address: smhuang@mail.ncku.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Shih-Ming
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013965:Thyroidectomy; D014463:Ultrasonography; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Graves disease; thyroidectomy; volume