A Case of Intrathoracic Goiter Followed up to Ten Years

A ten year follow up was carried out on a case of benign intrathoracic goiter. The patient, a 43-year-old woman, was admitted for evaluation of a swelling of the right anterior neck and an abnormal shadow in the chest X-ray film. She complained of an occasional slight pain and a sensation of oppression in the right neck, but no dyspnea, hoarseness, dysphagia, or edema of the face was seen. A hen egg size tumor was palpated in the right supraclavicular region. A roentgenogram of the chest showed a well defined tumor shadow in the superior right mediastinum, with a slight displacement of the trachea and the oesophagus to the left. 131I thyroid scanning showed that the right lobe of the cervical thyroid gland was enlarged toward the right and inferior direction with an intrusion into the thoracic cavity. All thyroid functions tested were within a normal range. Since the patient refused to submit to surgical treatment, she was given a follow up for about ten years, during which time the intrathoracic part of the goiter enlarged gradually without the progress of subjective symptoms.departmental bulletin pape