Delayed Presentation of Forgotten Thyroid Goiter - 25 Years After Thyroidectomy.
Forgotten goiter is a rare occurrence (2 - 16% of retrosternal thyroid cases) that depicts recurrence of retrosternal thyroid mass due to growth of remnant thyroid tissue overlooked during an initial thyroidectomy. The patient is a 59-year female who presented with dyspnea and stridor 25 years after total thyroidectomy. She was diagnosed as having a mediastinal mass on radiographic imaging. There were only localized pressure symptoms due to mass effect. The mass was excised employing an extra-cervical approach and using a partial sternotomy. The profuse extension of thyroid tissue, adherent to vital structures in the thorax and the extra-cervical thyroidectomy was a novel experience. The mass was completely excised and the patient's symptoms alleviated after the surgery. The patient recovered without any complications and there was no recurrence at 1 year of follow-up.
Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi.
Fazal Wahab
FW
Khan
Florez Lab, Massachusetts General Hospital, Yale University, USA.
Ayesha
A
Muhammad
Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Ziauddin University Hospital, Karachi.
Mohsin
M
Abbas
Graduate, The Aga Khan University, Karachi.
Syed Usman
SU
Bin Mahmood
Department of Biochemistry, Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi.
Benish
B
Fatima
Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi.
Saulat H
SH
Fatimi
D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000209:etiology; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006042:Goiter / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006045:Goiter, Substernal / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D056346:Sternotomy; D013249:Sternum / Q000601:surgery*; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D013965:Thyroidectomy / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome