[Results of surgical treatment of Basedow's disease]

Diffuse hyperthyroidism occurred in 88 patients (82 women and 6 men), aged 14 to 74 years, and was due to Graves disease in 65 cases and heteromultinodular goiter in 23 cases. After medical preparation, the surgical procedure was subtotal thyroidectomy for Graves disease and total unilateral with partial controlateral lobectomy for heteromultinodular goiter. The immediate postoperative course was uneventful except for two transient acute episodes of thyrotoxicosis. One to eight years after surgery, 53 patients are euthyroid, 34 are hypothyroid and one has recurrent hyperthyroidism. A TRH test was done in each of the 53 euthyroid patients. Three kinds of responses were demonstrated: a normal response in 22 cases, evidencing true euthyroidism; an excessive response in 24 cases, reflecting partial compensated hypothyroidism; an insufficient response in 7 cases.