[Riedel's thyroiditis. Apropos of a case with acute massive fibrous development]

Before a brief historical review of the disease, including its classical diagnostic criteria, the authors present a true case of Riedel's thyroiditis. After an initial operation involving virtually complete excision of the affected lobe, the course was particularly rapid with very extensive cervical fibrosis which resulted in death from tracheal and oesophageal complications. Such rapidly progressive secondary fibrosis has not been described before and did not have the histological characteristics of a recurrence. The authors liken it to phenomena of fibrosis frequently described as being associated with Riedel's disease (retroperitoneal fibrosis, fibrosing cholangitis, orbital pseudotumour, etc.). Bearing in mind that glucocorticosteroids have a beneficial action on such sites, the authors wonder whether routine preoperative corticosteroid therapy might not have avoided such an early fatal outcome in this patient.