Resection of an unusually large goitre

This paper reports the resection of a benign non-toxic goitre measuring 75 X 60 X 45 cm in a patient aged 48 who was unable to walk or sit because of the size of the goitre. The tumour proved to arise from the right half of the thyroid. A right-sided hemistrumectomy was performed under local anaesthesia with the patient prone. A temporary tracheostomy was established. The postoperative course was uneventful apart from slight necrosis of the wound edge. The patient was discharged in good health on the twentieth postoperative day.