[Pathophysiology and disgnosis of autonomous adenoma (author's transl)]

From personal experience in 200 patients and after a careful review of the literature autonomous adenoma of the thyroid is discussed under three aspects: 1. Different ways of its pathogenesis are possible. None of them has been sufficiently proven. 2. Differentiation by scintigraphy into a compensated, partially decompensated stage does not correlate sufficiently with the concentration of thyroid hormones in the blood and the overall clinical picture. The TRH test is negative in about 90% of patients independent of the stage evaluated by scintigraphy. 3. The diagnosis of the disease by modern tools is critically reviewed.