[Is surgical treatment of hyperthyroidism in pregnancy reasonable?]

Hyperthyroidism is second to diabetes mellitus as the most common endocrinopathy in pregnancy. It is usually caused by Graves' disease. The appropriate treatment is the only way to prevent the incidence of dangerous complications both to mother and foetus, including thyrotoxic crisis. Most cases of hyperthyroidism during pregnancy can be successfully treated with thyrostatics (propylotiouracil, methylotiouracil in the lowest efficient doses). However, the surgical treatment (sub-total thyroidectomy within the second trimester of gestation, soon after the euthyroid state following short medication is reached) is still an elective approach in selected cases: 1) allergy to antithyroid drugs, 2) large compressive goitre, 3) suspicion of thyroid cancer, 4) patients who require large doses of antithyroid drugs to reach and sustain euthyroid state, 5) poor patient compliance, 6) extremely rare resistance to antithyroid drugs. The study included 24 cases of pregnant women, who underwent surgery due to hyperthyroidism. The analysis of indications to surgery and postoperative pregnancy, birth and puerperium course was performed. All the patients gave birth on time to healthy children. No negative influence of neither preoperative antithyroid treatment nor surgical procedure on pregnancy delivery, further psychomotoric children's development and health was found during 36 months (+/- 20 months) of postoperative follow up. It indicates on usefulness, efficacy and safety of surgical treatment in selected cases of hyperthyroidism during pregnancy.