Graves' disease treated with thyroid arterial embolization

To study pathological changes in the thyroid gland of patients with Graves' disease (GD) treated with thyroid arterial embolization.

Thirty-seven patients with GD were treated through transcatheter thyroid arterial embolization. Of these patients, twenty-two had biopsy of the thyroid gland at different time points before and after the embolization for the study of pathology. Serum thyroid hormones, TSH and TRAb were also studied at these time points. Thyroid size was evaluated in all patients using color Doppler ultrasound or CT scan.

Thyroid size decreased immediately or several days following embolization. Pathological study demonstrated mainly acute infarction and necrosis at 7 days post embolization. At 6 months, chronic inflammation and fibrous hyperplasia were the primary findings in the gland, and at 3 years following embolization, mesenchyma hyperplasia and follicle atrophy were primarily present in the embolized thyroid tissue. The thyroid hormones and TSH gradually resumed to normal range after embolization while TRAb decreased significantly.

Thyroid arterial embolization can cause GD thyroid gland a series of pathological changes of acute ischemia and necrosis and later, chronic inflammation, fibroplasia and atrophy to decrease secretion of thyroid. The pathological changes within the thyroid gland after embolization form the basis of thyroid arterial embolization in treating GD hyperthyroidism.