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Serum thyroglobulin and its autoantibody following subtotal thyroid resection of Graves' disease
Author(s) -
FELDTRASMUSSEN ULLA,
BLICHERTTOFT M.,
CHRISTIANSEN C.,
DATE J.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
european journal of clinical investigation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.164
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1365-2362
pISSN - 0014-2972
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2362.1982.tb00994.x
Subject(s) - thyroglobulin , medicine , exophthalmos , euthyroid , autoantibody , graves' disease , thyroid , anti thyroid autoantibodies , endocrinology , thyroidectomy , wolff–chaikoff effect , antibody , gastroenterology , surgery , immunology
. Thyroid surgery leads to marked changes of the levels of serum thyroglobulin and its autoantibodies in the subsequent 3 postoperative weeks. Furthermore in Graves' disease progression of exophthalmos has sometimes been seen following thyroidectomy. Nineteen medically pretreated patients with Graves' disease and no signs of exophthalmos were studied systematically up to 6 months postoperatively. Nine patients had thyroglobulin antibodies. Mean values rose to 3·5 times pretreatment values within 2 months ( P < 0·001) followed by a gradual fall below pretreatment level after 6 months. None of the antibody negative patients reverted to positive or vice versa. Serum thyroglobulin ( n = 10) was elevated preoperatively (mean 309 μg/l, SD 251), their values being normalized within 1–2 months (mean 19·4 μg/l, SD 7·3). The preoperative serum thyroglobulin correlated to the weight of the removed thyroid tissue ( r = 0·87, P < 0·01). Three patients showed elevated thyroid stimulating hormone after 1 month. Of these, two developed myxoedema, the third remained euthyroid with persistently elevated serum thyroglobulin. None showed recurrence or developed exophthalmos within the period of observation. In spite of rising levels of thyroglobulin antibodies in all patients with antibodies none developed exophthalmos and only one patient with thyroglobulin antibodies had clinical myxoedema.