[Deiodase deficiency--clinical significance and diagnosis]

Outlining briefly the essence and clinical manifestation of deiodase insufficiency, the author stresses upon the diagnostic difficulties of that disease and the need of available and reliable tests for the detection of that enzyme defect. The results of the modified, by the author, method of Jaffiol et al. applied on 15 patients with nodular sporadic goiter are reported. The modification gives distinct results and is with substantial practical advantages as compared with the original method. Deiodase insufficiency was established in three of the examined and the percentage of the excreted with the urine labelled diiodotyrosine exceeded two to five times that of the rest of the patients. The method is recommended for the diagnostic practice.