Persistent hyperthyroidism in a patient after total thyroidectomy: the thyroid anatomy has implications for treatment

Abstract

Introduction. Grave’s disease (GD) can be treated using three modalities: anti-thyroid medications, radioactive iodine therapy (RAI), or surgery. If surgery is selected, total thyroidectomy is the procedure of choice. Patients with hyperthyroidism frequently have an enlarged thyroid gland, occasionally with a pyramidal lobe. Aim. We point the usefulness of thyroid scintigraphy, which provides valuable information regarding the thyroid anatomy. Description of the case. The manuscript presents a case report of 43-year-old woman with unstable Grave’s disease, who underwent thyroidectomy and developed persistent hyperthyroidism postoperatively. She was referred by an endocrinologist to a nuclear medicine outpatient clinic for RAI therapy. I-iodide scintigraphy revealed two foci with excessive tracer accumulation. One of the foci in the middle of the neck corresponded to the pyramidal lobe. Conclusion. The thyroid anatomy anomalies can lead to unnecessary implications for treatment. Identifying the pyramidal lobe preoperatively and removing it from patients requiring total thyroidectomy may decrease the recurrence rate of hyperthyroidism. Thyroid scintigraphy is a useful diagnostic tool to visualize the pyramidal lobe.