[Riedel's thyroiditis: a case report and review of the literature]

Riedel's thyroiditis is a very rare disease of unknown aetiology, occasionally associated with retroperitoneal and mediastinal fibrosis. It is a benign condition, but may be confused with an anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid. The differential diagnosis with anaplastic carcinoma is assured only by intraoperative biopsy. The Authors report a clinical case: symptoms were a progressive enlargement of the thyroid gland, left recurrential palsy, dyspnoea and dysphagia. The surgical treatment was total thyroidectomy, performed with bilateral neurolysis of recurrent nerves. The patient was also under adjuvant corticosteroid treatment.