The Treatment of Toxic Goiter

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HomeRadiologyVol. 18, No. 3 PreviousNext EditorialThe Treatment of Toxic GoiterPublished Online:Mar 1 1932https://doi.org/10.1148/18.3.642MoreSectionsPDF ToolsImage ViewerAdd to favoritesCiteTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked In AbstractBecause of the prevalence of toxic goiter in this country, and also because of the divergent opinions as to the best and safest method in treating this disease, a symposium appertaining to this subject was held at the last meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.The purpose of such a symposium is primarily educational. It offers an opportunity to present the most modern advance made in the treatment of a certain disease by some particular method or methods; also—which is of importance—it correlates the results obtained by physicians of varying experience in their own specialty, and not by a few outstanding physicians with large experience, connected with some renowned medical center.We are presenting to our readers in this issue of Radiology a symposium on the treatment of toxic goiter by radiation therapy, surgery, and internal medicine. Those physicians participating are well known to the members of their own specialties, and have acquired experience and knowledge in the treatment of this disease. For this reason, this symposium should be representative of the present-day results obtained m the treatment of toxic goiter by the methods named.For years, the principal forms of treatment used in toxic goiter were medical and surgical. Good results were being reported by surgeons. The percentage of cures was most gratifying, although the death rate was high. Improved surgical technic and greater experience in goiter surgery were the causes of a marked reduction in the mortality rate. In fact, to-day, in a few large surgical centers, where expert goiter surgeons operate, the mortality is less than 2 per cent. However, we must appreciate that this low mortality is not representative of that of the general surgeon. It is said that at present the surgical mortality following goiter operation by the general surgeon is about 10 per cent. This high mortality has given the medical profession much concern. It was hoped that some other form of treatment could be used in conjunction with surgery, or alone, which would produce a high percentage of cures with a negligible mortality. Radiation therapy is now ideally fulfilling this hope, and the results obtained by its use in carefully selected cases are far beyond the highest expectations of the medical profession.There are several reasons why such excellent results are being obtained. One is that in treating the thyroid gland the thymus gland is also irradiated. It has been known for some time that certain changes occur in the thymus gland of patients suffering with thyrotoxicosis. Experiments have shown that after thymectomy in animals the thyroid gland tends to become hyperplastic as in Graves' disease, and likewise following thyroidectomy the thymus becomes hyperplastic.Article HistoryPublished in print: Mar 1932 FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsRecommended Articles RSNA Education Exhibits RSNA Case Collection Vol. 18, No. 3 Metrics Altmetric Score PDF download