[Iodine-induced T3 hyperthyroidism in metastatic follicular thyroid cancer]

Thyroid carcinoma is not a common disorder but the metastatic thyroid carcinoma manifesting thyrotoxicosis is exceedingly rare. Since Leiter et al. described the first patient with adenocarcinoma of the thyroid with functioning metastases and postoperative thyrotoxicosis in 1946, about 20 such cases have been reported. We have examined two cases of metastatic follicular thyroid carcinoma with T3-hyperthyroidism after surgical ablation of the gland. The thyrotoxicosis was induced by excessive iodine contamination during preoperative radiological examination.