Histomorphological Study of Thyroid Lesions in Autopsy Specimens: A Cross-sectional Study

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Introduction: The thyroid gland has been the subject of intense research and considerable attention due to the broad spectrum of diseases, ranging from functional and immunologically mediated enlargements to neoplastic lesions. Pathology within the endocrine system is not commonly found at autopsy, and when identified, it is even less frequently the cause of death. Studying asymptomatic thyroid lesions in living individuals is complex, making an autopsy study the best approach for this purpose. The data collected during the study can provide valuable insights for future epidemiological and clinical studies. Aim: To examine the histomorphological features and spectrum of thyroid lesions in autopsy specimens. Materials and Methods: The present study was a descriptive cross-sectional and prospective study carried out on the 140 autopsy specimens of the entire thyroid gland, dissected from deceased individuals during post-mortem examinations conducted in the Department of Pathology, at the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Hubballi, Karnataka, India, from 1 November 2016 to 31 October 2017. The study examined the histomorphological features and spectrum of thyroid lesions in autopsy specimens. The statistical analysis was carried out using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 14.0. Results: A total of 140 autopsy specimens of the whole thyroid gland were included during the study period. The age of the patients ranged from 18 to 68 years. The mean weight of the thyroid gland was 19.24 grams (minimum 10 grams and maximum 50 grams). The peak incidence of thyroid diseases was observed in the fourth to fifth decades of life. Thyroid disease was predominantly seen in females compared to males, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:4.7. In present study, 90 cases (64.3%) were normal; 49 cases (35.0%) were non neoplastic lesions; and 1 case (0.7%) was classified as a neoplastic lesion. Goitre 34 (67.4%) cases was the most common non neoplastic lesion, followed by Hashimoto’s thyroiditis 9 (18.4%) cases. Other less commonly encountered non neoplastic lesions included lymphocytic thyroiditis 4 (8.2%) cases, primary hyperplasia 1 (2%) case, Reidel’s thyroiditis 1 (2%) case, and thyroglossal cyst 1 (2%) case. Only one neoplastic lesion was observed, which was papillary microcarcinoma of the conventional type, accounting for 0.7% of the cases studied. Conclusion: The present study provided data regarding the distribution of different types of thyroid pathologies in autopsy specimens in the North Karnataka region. Although females constituted only 42.1% of the study population, a higher proportion of females exhibited various diagnostic pathological lesions. These incidental lesions indicate the burden of thyroid lesions in that region, which could have been detected through routinely available screening tests for thyroid conditions.