[Thyroidectomy for Graves' disease]

In the late 19th century, surgeons in central Europe attempted to perform thyroidectomy for Graves' disease. Theodor Billroth, Theodor Kocher, and their colleagues made numerous contributions to progress in surgical methods. Preoperative arterial ligation, lobectomy, and second-stage operations were performed to reduce operative mortality rates. Lobectomy and partial resection of the contralateral lobe were performed in the 1900s, and subtotal thyroidectomy, which became the standard procedure of the day, was performed in the 1920s. Developments in medical therapy, such as iodine (1923) and thiouracil (1943) administration, also decreased postoperative mortality and morbidity rates. In 1954, radioiodine therapy was found to yield satisfactory results in achieving remission of Graves' disease. Currently, surgery for Graves' disease is indicated only in patients with large goiters or who require rapid remission.