Granulomatous Thyroiditis: A Retrospective Analysis of 45 Cases with Histopathological Correlation

Granulomatous thyroiditis (GT) is a mostly self-limiting inflammatory disorder with an incompletely elucidated etiopathogenesis. This study evaluated the clinicopathological characteristics of GT cases, identified coexisting benign and malignant lesions, and discussed the findings in the context of the current literature.

A retrospective review of thyroid resection specimens diagnosed with GT was conducted between January 2010 and May 2025. Patient demographics, lesion localization, surgical extent, and concurrent pathologies were analyzed. Logistic regression was used to identify factors predicting malignancy.

A total of 45 cases were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 50.4 years, and the female-to-male ratio was 3.1:1. Bilateral involvement was detected in 51.1% of cases, and 80% of patients underwent total thyroidectomy. Papillary thyroid carcinoma or papillary microcarcinoma was present in 33.3% of the cases, while benign lesions were observed in 71.1%. Follicular nodular disease was the most frequent benign lesion. In the logistic regression analysis, age, sex, laterality, and surgical extent were not independent predictors of the presence of accompanying malignancy.

Approximately one-third of the GT cases coexisted with papillary carcinoma and two-thirds with follicular nodular disease. Although the high rates might be due to the surgical selection of the cases and cannot be generalized to all cases with GT, larger series are needed for a better understanding of the clinical and pathogenetic aspects of this association. Cite this article as: Gül AE, Şensu S, Zelyurt OA, et al. Granulomatous thyroiditis: a retrospective analysis of 45 cases with histopathological correlation. Eurasian J Med. 2026, 58(4), 1553, doi: 10.5152/ eurasianjmed.2026.261553.