I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
BLOCK
XVII
Dr. F Hilado
MODULE
III
10/30/2015 3:00-5:00 PM
LECTURE
VII
OUTLINE
Thyroid Gland Anatomy
Thyroid Nodules
Diagnostic Evaluation Methods
- History and PE
- Laboratory Tests
- Investigative Procedures
Differential Diagnosis
Diagnostic Approach
Thyroid cancer
GOITER
refers to an enlarged thyroid gland
- Biosynthetic defects, iodine deficiency, autoimmune
disease, and nodular diseases can each lead to goiter,
although by different mechanisms
Biosynthetic defects and iodine deficiency
- reduced efficiency of thyroid hormone synthesis,
leading to increased TSH, which stimulates thyroid
growth as a compensatory mechanism to overcome the
block in hormone synthesis.
NODULAR DISEASE
- is characterized by the disordered growth of thyroid
cells, often combined with the gradual development of
fibrosis
- occurring in about 37% of adults when assessed by
physical examination
Ultrasound: nodules are present in up to 50% of adults,
with the majority being <1 cm in diameter. Thyroid
nodules may be solitary or multiple, and
they may be functional or nonfunctional
Harrisons 19th edition
TYPES OF THYROID NODULES
UNINODULAR
Page 1 of 11
Diagnostic evaluation:
Diagnostic evaluation:
A case of multinodular toxic thyroid. A hyperthyroid 46year-old woman with a palpable multinodular thyroid.
(a) Ultrasound scan shows an enlarged thyroid with
multiple nodules in both right and left lobe. The gland
seems to extend in the mediastinum
(b) Thyroid scintigraphy. The scan shows intense uptake in
the glandular parenchyma with multiple cold areas in
correspondence to the major nodules seen at ultrasound.
Family history of
thyroid nodule or
thyroid cancer?
Weight loss/gain?
Sleeping patterns?
Tremors?
Palpitations?
PHYSICAL EXAMINATION
Inspection:
Allow to swallow (does it
follow?)
Palpation:
Tender? How many? Size?
Auscultation:
bruit (present in Graves
disease, but not in nodules)
History
Benign disease
- Family history of Hashimotos thyroiditis, benign
thyroid nodule, or goiter
- Symptoms of hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism; and
a sudden increase in size of the nodule
with pain or tenderness, which suggests a cyst or
localized subacute thyroiditis
Malignancy
- include young age (<20 years) or older age (>60 years)
- male gender
- history of external neck irradiation during childhood or
Page 2 of 11
adolescence
- rapid growth
- recent changes in speaking, breathing, or swallowing;
and a family history of
thyroid cancer or multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2
(MEN2)
Physical Examination
Malignancy
- firm consistency of the nodule
- irregular shape
- fixation to underlying or overlying tissues
- vocal cord paralysis
- Suspicious regional lymphadenopathy
Nodule Size < 4 cm
- not predictive of malignancy
- the incidence of cancer in incidentally identified or
nonpalpable thyroid nodules is the same as in patients
with palpable
nodules
Nodule Size >4 cm
- the incidence of carcinoma may be higher
Williams Textbook of Endocrinology
Laboratory Tests
Serum TSH
- first-line screening test,
- may be measured with a highly sensitive immunometric
assay and combined with a single measurement of free
thyroid hormone concentrations
Low or undetectable serum TSH
- associated with normal thyroid hormones suggest
possibility of toxic, autonomously functioning
nodular areas in the goiter and should lead to
thyroid scintigraphy
- indicates the need to monitor the patient for the
possible development of hyperthyroidism and
indicates that there is no point in attempting further
suppression of TSH with thyroxine therapy
High serum TSH value
- Patients with thyroid cancer
- even if it is within the upper part of the reference
range, is associated with increased risk of
malignancy in a thyroid nodule
- indicates hypothyroidism and suggests Hashimoto
thyroiditis
NORMAL
Page 3 of 11
Warm
Indeterminate
Hot
Hyperfunctioning
Uptake similar
to surrounding
tissue
increased nodular
uptake with
suppression of uptake
in the surrounding
tissue
<5% of cases
autonomously
hyperfunctioning
adenomas
Focal thyroiditis
80-85%
Benign
adenoma,
thyroid cancer,
cyst
10 %
Cancer and
benign
nodules
GOOD
Anechoic/ Cystic
Spongy
Ring of vascularization
BAD
Hypoechoic/Solid
Well-vascularized
Microcalcifications
Irregular Margins
ULTRASONOGRAPHY
- excellent method for detection of thyroid nodules as
small as 1 to 2 mm.
- Its sensitivity approaches 95%
- it has replaced radionuclide scanning as the
procedure of choice for imaging thyroid nodules.
It provides a precise and reproducible measurement
of nodule size and demonstrates whether a nodule is
cystic, solid, or mixed (complex)
Page 4 of 11
ACUTE THYROIDITIS
- rare and due to suppurative infection of the thyroid.
In children and young adults,
- the most common cause is the presence of a
piriform sinus, a remnant of the fourth branchial
pouch that connects the oropharynx with the thyroid.
- A long-standing goiter and degeneration in a thyroid
malignancy are risk factors in the elderly
The patient presents with thyroid pain, often
referred to the throat or ears, and a small, tender
goiter that may be asymmetric.
- Fever, dysphagia, and erythema over the thyroid are
common, as are systemic symptoms of a febrile
illness and lymphadenopathy
Harrisons Internal Medicine 19th edition
SUBACUTE THYROIDITIS:
- caused by virus (coxsackie, adenovirus, mumps virus,
echovirus, influenzae, epstein-barr)
- low-grade fever, like trangkaso, flu-like symptoms
- patient then feels that it is tender, cold upon
palpation
Hyperthyroid
First 4-6 weeks
high T3, T4; low
TSH
We dont treat
this patient as
toxic goiter and
we cannot give
antithyroid drugs
Beta-blocker or
steroid given
(prednisone or
dexamethasone)
Handbook of diagnostic endocrinology
Management and Diagnosis of Thyroid Nodules
DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS
THYROID ABSCESS or ACUTE THYROIDITIS
(+) tenderness, Fever, Soft
Redness on the side of the thyroid gland
ACUTE THYROIDITIS:
- caused by bacteria (staph or strep, or opportunistic
bacteria)
3 Phases of Thyroiditis
Euthyroid
> 4-6 weeks
Normal Thyroid
Tests
will remain in this
phase or will
become
hypothyroid
Hypothyroid
2-3 months
low T3, T4; high
TSH
Give T4
(levothyroxine)
We can also
give T3
(liothyronine)
50-150 ug
depending on
blood test
Normal: we can
discontinue
medications
and give blood
test after 2-3
weeks
SUBACUTE THYROIDITIS
- De Quervains thyroiditis, Granulomatous thyroiditis,
- Many viruses have been implicated, including
mumps, coxsackie, influenza, adenoviruses, and
echoviruses, but attempts to identify the virus in an
individual patient are often unsuccessful and do not
Page 5 of 11
influence management.
- The diagnosis of subacute thyroiditis is often
overlooked because the symptoms can mimic
pharyngitis
- The peak incidence occurs at 3050 years, and women
are affected three times more frequently than men
Pathophysiology
- The thyroid shows a characteristic patchy
inflammatory infiltrate with disruption of the
thyroid follicles and multinucleated giant cells
within some follicles.
The follicular changes progress to granulomas
accompanied by fibrosis. Finally, the thyroid
returns to normal, usually several months after
onset
Initial phase of follicular destruction
- there is release of Tg and thyroid hormones,
leading to increased circulating T4 and T3 and
suppression of TSH
Destructive phase
radioactive iodine uptake is low or undetectable
Hypothyroid phase
- After several weeks, the thyroid is depleted
of stored thyroid hormone and a phase of
hypothyroidism typically
occurs
- with low unbound T4 (and sometimes T3) and
moderately increased TSH level
Radioactive iodine uptake returns to normal or is
even increased as a result of the rise in TSH. Finally,
thyroid hormone and TSH levels return to normal as the
disease subsides
Harrisons Internal Medicine 19th edition
CHRONIC OR PAINLESS THYROIDITIS AND SUBACUTE
LYMPHOCYTIC THYROIDITIS:
- these are autoimmune
- antimicrosomal antibodies are very low
- some are also post-partum (6wks-3mos after
delivery)
- clinical features: no nodule before pregnancy but
develop a painless nodule
- Give steroids
Clinical course is same as subacute thyroiditis
(some become hypothyroid for life but others
return to normal function and nodule disappears
THYROIDITIS: after 2 wks of prednisone or
dexamethasone, the thyroid nodule disappears.
CHRONIC THYROIDITIS
HASHIMOTOS THYROIDITIS
- hard on palpations
- sometimes painless
sometimes feel cancer-like
- patients are hypothyroid: give levothyroxine
- also involves immune system destroying the
thyroid gland itself
REIDELS TRAUMA
- cancerous type based on palpation but they are
just benign
- cant be treated with steroids
- sometimes we think it is cancer so we recommend
surgery
Whatevers deficient, you fill up. Whatevers in excess,
you reduce
Chronic Thyroiditis
-
Hashimotos thyroiditis
- The most common clinically apparent cause of chronic
thyroiditis
an autoimmune disorder that often presents as a firm
or hard goiter of variable size
Riedels thyroiditis
- is a rare disorder that typically occurs in
middle-aged women.
- It presents with an insidious, painless goiter with
local symptoms due to compression of the
esophagus, trachea, neck veins, or recurrent
laryngeal nerves.
- Dense fibrosis disrupts normal gland architecture
and can extend outside the thyroid capsule.
- Despite these extensive histologic changes,
thyroid dysfunction is uncommon.
- The goiter is hard, nontender, often asymmetric,
and fixed, leading to suspicion of a malignancy.
- Diagnosis requires open biopsy as FNA
biopsy is usually inadequate.
- Treatment is directed to surgical relief of
compressive symptoms. Tamoxifen may also be
beneficial.
Harrisons Internal Medicine 19th edition
Page 6 of 11
o
o
Ill try the patient for 6 months to one year. If the
thyroid gland increase in size despite the presence of
levothyroxine then it is malignant despite negative
FNAB. This is because FNAB is not a definitive diagnosis
for thyroid cancer. It is just a screening because you
cant demonstrate breakage in cytoplasm
Subacute thyroiditis:
viral- give steroids- painless 4x a day for 2 weeks..
you can give for pain
Chronic give only thyroid hormones
THYROID CANCER
Page 8 of 11
Moral Lesson:
DONT TELL YOUR PATIENT RIGHT AWAY THAT IT IS
BENIGN BASED ON THE FROZEN SECTION. YOU SHOULD
WAIT FOR A GROSSPATHOLOGY!
Thyroid cancer is more common in men but goiter is
more common in women
Goiter is common in women because of the hormones
that stimulate TSH
History and Physical Examination
- it is hard, tender, hoarseness of voice
- common in iodine deficient area
- sometimes tracheal deviation
Very strong family history
Total Thyroidectomy is done to confirm the presence
of malignancy
TYPES OF THYROID CANCER
Papillary Thyroid Cancer
- most benign
- The spread is regionalistic lymph node
- If there is recurrence you do node picking
- responsive to thyroid hormone
- Lobectomy, then suppress with hormone or TT +
thyroid hormone replacement
- Good prognosis
Page 9 of 11
Lymphoma
very poor prognosis
Papillary and Follicular have good prognosis
Medullary and Undifferentiate have poor prognosis
Cancerthryoidectomy, radioactive iodine
LYMPHOMA
often arises in the background of Hashimotos
thyroiditis.
- A rapidly expanding thyroid mass suggests the
possibility of this diagnosis.
- Diffuse large-cell lymphoma is the most common
type in the thyroid.
- Biopsies reveal sheets of lymphoid cells that can
be difficult to distinguish from small-cell
lung cancer or ATC.
- These tumors are often highly sensitive to
external radiation.
- Surgical resection should be avoided as initial
therapy because it may spread disease that is
otherwise localized to the thyroid.
- If staging indicates disease outside of the thyroid,
treatment should follow guidelines used for other
forms of lymphoma
Harrisons Internal Medicine 19th edition
PLUMMERS NODULE/ TOXIC ADENOMA
Page 10 of 11
TOXIC ADENOMA
- A solitary, autonomously functioning thyroid
nodule
- Thyrotoxicosis is usually mild
- The disorder is suggested by a subnormal TSH level;
the presence of the thyroid nodule, which is
generally large enough to be palpable; and the
absence of clinical features suggestive of Graves
disease or other causes of thyrotoxicosis.
- A thyroid scan provides a definitive diagnostic test,
demonstrating focal uptake in the hyperfunctioning
nodule and diminished uptake in the remainder of
the gland, as activity of the normal thyroid is
suppressed
Harrisons Internal Medicine 19th edition
NONTOXIC MULTINODULAR GOITER
Page 11 of 11