[Misdiagnoses and mismanagement in thyroid diseases (author's transl)]

Measures prior to diagnosis and treatment already installed were assessed retrospectively in 8501 patients with suspect thyroid disease between the years 1976 and 1979. In 10.5% of these patients there were 11.2% misdiagnosis or wrong treatment. The most common misdiagnoses were hyperthyroidism in euthyroid patients (1.9%), hypothyroidism in euthyroidism (0.8%), non-recognition or non-aspiration of cold nodules (0.9%), missing a goitre (0.6%). Among diagnostic methods the radio-iodine test was reason for a wrong diagnosis most commonly (66%). The TRH-test proved to be least erroneous, technical reasons being the cause of the 9.6% of misdiagnoses. The most common mismanagements were due to lack of prophylaxis of recurrence after goitre operation (1.5%), external irradiation of the thyroid gland with radium or Roentgen rays (0.7%), and during thyroid hormone treatment of goitre (1.3%). Iatrogenic disease existed mainly as factitious hyperthyroidism (0.7%), non-treated hypothyroidism after treatment with radio-iodine of hyperthyroidism (0.1%), and as goitre recurrence due to lack of prophylaxis of recurrence (0.8% of all patients). As every 10th patient was subjected to misdiagnosis or mismanagement, shifting to endocrinological advisory centers may prevent future mismanagement of thyroid disorders.