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Updated: May 5, 2026

Minimal Invasive Resection of Large Retrosternal Thyroid Goiter
Published on: September 20, 2024
Unexpected conversion from hypothyroidism to an euthyroid state due to Graves' disease in a patient with an ectopic
Ewelina Szczepanek-Parulska1, Marek Ruchala, Aleksandra Hernik
1Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Internal Medicine, University of Medical Sciences, 49 Przybyszewskiego St., 60-355, Poznan, Poland, ewelinaparulska@gmail.com.
Abstract:
A 15-year-old woman was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and unilateral ectopic thyroid. Levothyroxine treatment was introduced; however, the patient was non-compliant and took the medication irregularly. When she presented to an endocrinologist at the age of 30, she had not been using levothyroxine for at least 6 months. Surprisingly, she was clinically and biochemically euthyroid. Due to decreased echogenicity on ultrasound examination, enhanced vascularization on Color Doppler examination and increased concentration of anti-TSH receptor autoantibodies, she was diagnosed with Graves' disease. Eventually, she underwent total thyroidectomy due to diagnosis of follicular neoplasm in fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the focal lesion found in the thyroid gland. To our knowledge, our patient is the first described with ectopic thyroid, presenting a nodular variant of Graves' disease and no signs of orbitopathy, who was initially hypothyroid and became euthyroid in the course of autoimmune thyroid disease.
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Graves' Disease I: Introduction
Graves Disease II: Pathophysiology
Hyperthyroidism II: Pathophysiology
Hypothyroidism II: Pathophysiology
Goiter

