[Clinical and pathological considerations of Plummer's disease (author's transl)]

Four cases of Plummer's disease were experienced and its clinical and pathological characteristics were considered. Clinically, three cases were thyrotoxic or slightly toxic, but one was non-toxic. Thyroid scintigrams showed hot nodules which revealed autonomic production of thyroid hormone, and the depleted uptake of 131I in the thyroid glands around the nodules was recovered to normal after the surgical extripation of the nodules. Histologic findings of the extripated nodules were follicular adenoma or adenomatous goitor. On electron-microscopy, epithelial cells of the thyroid follicules in the nodules from all cases contained numerous secretory granules significantly increased in number, while development of the general cytoplasmic organelles varied from case to case. Capillaries in the nodules were fenestrated. Thus, the nodules were electron-microscopically revealed active secretion of thyroid hormone. The electron-microscopical examinations may be useful in the study of Plummer's disease.