Various chemotherapeutic modalities have been tried in the treatment of patients with malignant glucagonomas. Promising results have been reported after drug treatment with dimethyltriazenoimidazole carboxamide (DTIC). We present a patient with a metastasizing pancreatic glucagonoma, in whom treatment with neither DTIC nor with the combination of streptozotocin and 5-fluorouracil resulted in any noticeable improvement.

Of 220 patients, surgically treated for benign, non-toxic goitre with unilateral procedures during a six-year period, 201 could be followed up, on average, 8 years postoperatively. Twenty-four patients were treated with thyroxine immediately postoperatively ("recurrence prophylaxis"); in the other patients thyroxine was only given in cases of hypothyroidism (significant increase of S-TSH). Occurrence of lymphoid infiltration in the removed lobe was subjectively quantified according to a five point scale. Five of the 15 patients with pronounced inflammation developed hypothyroidism whereas 5 of the 137 patients without inflammation had hypothyroidism (p less than 0.05). There was a significant difference in S-TSH postoperatively between patients with no or, only a slight degree of, chronic inflammation, and patients with pronounced inflammation. This study indicates that histologic grading of lymphocytic infiltration in the thyroid gland may be useful for predicting the risk of postoperative hypothyroidism.

Current trends in the surgical treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism due to solitary parathyroid adenoma were evaluated in a questionnaire study. Response was obtained from 53 departments highly active in endocrine surgery in 14 countries (response rate 95%). Intraoperative histologic examination is widely (70%) regarded as necessary, but utilized more in North America and Scandinavia (87%) than elsewhere (45%). Intraoperative fat staining is used in one-third of the departments. Excisional biopsy including one whole gland is preferred by 32% to multiple incisional biopsies. Gross inspection of three normal parathyroid glands without histologic identification is favoured in 21% of the departments, while 31% prefer bilateral exploration and incisional biopsy. When an adenoma is found on the first side to be explored, 17% advocate bilateral exploration with incisional biopsy of all three normal glands, whereas unilateral exploration with excisional or incisional biopsy of the ipsilateral normal gland is preferred by a similar percentage.

Surgical regimens for treatment of solitary parathyroid adenoma were compared in a multicentre study in five departments of surgery in the United States and Europe. Three hundred and twenty-five patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Eight years after the operation 272 patients (84%) were available for follow-up investigation. Severe postoperative hypocalcaemia (less than 2.00 mmol) was significantly more common after bilateral than unilateral exploration (p less than 0.001), and in women (p less than 0.01). Neither age nor preoperative serum calcium concentration was related to the severity of postoperative hypocalcaemia. At follow-up, 96% of the patients who had had unilateral, and 89% of those who had had Bilateral exploration had remained normocalcaemic without further treatment. Of the patients who had had incisional biopsies of normal glands 8% had hypercalcaemia and 8% had hypocalcaemia. Of patients operated on without a biopsy being taken or who had had one whole normal gland removed 1% were hypercalcaemic and 4% were hypocalcaemic. Early and late hypocalcaemia are reduced by atraumatic handling of the normal parathyroid gland without increasing the risk of persistent or recurrent hypercalcaemia.

In a multicentre study including 5 surgical departments in Europe and USA the results of surgical treatment in primary hyperparathyroidism (HPT) due to single adenoma were analysed. At long term follow-up 60 out of 282 patients operated on for solitary parathyroid adenoma were found to be dead. The average age at operation was 69.2 years and the time of survival after surgery 3.9 years. The cumulative relative survival in patients aged 60-64 years was reduced by 18% (P less than 0.01) as compared to a control group corrected for nationality, age and gender. In patients above the age of 65 no such reduction could be demonstrated. The operative mortality was 1% and attributed to cardiac failures. Late mortality was caused by cardiovascular conditions in 52% and by malignant disease in 15%. None of these figures were statistically different from the age, gender and nation corrected control group. Among the miscellaneous causes of death were two patients who committed suicide during the first postoperative year. The results indicate that surgery for parathyroid adenoma can be performed with low morbidity and mortality.

Of 287 consecutive patients, surgically treated at our department for benign, nontoxic goitre during a six-year period, 261 could be followed up, on average, 8.0 years postoperatively. Unilateral surgical procedures had been used in 199 patients, subtotal thyroidectomy in 62. 29 patients were treated with thyroxine (T4) immediately postoperatively ("recurrence prophylaxis"); in the other patients thyroxine was only given in cases of hypothyroidism (significant increase of s-TSH). 26 patients had a goitre recurrence 0.5-10 years after surgery; of these 3 had got T4 as "recurrence prophylaxis" and 23 had not. There was no significant difference between patients with and without T4 postoperatively regarding the rate of recurrence. Of 55 patients treated with subtotal thyroidectomy, 33 had postoperative latent (n = 26) or manifest (n = 7) hypothyroidism. Only 13 of 177 patients operated on unilaterally developed hypothyroidism; two of these had Hashimoto's thyroiditis. All cases of hypothyreosis except 4 were detected within the first 12 months of follow-up. This study indicates that routine use of thyroxine as prophylaxis against recurrence after surgery for benign nontoxic goitre can be strongly questioned and that the risk of hypothyroidism is high after subtotal thyroidectomy.

A simple and practical provocative test is needed for early asymptomatic pheochromocytoma, which is a major risk for patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN-2). We measured plasma catecholamines before and after submaximal exercise in 26 MEN-2 gene carriers, eight of whom with asymptomatic pheochromocytoma, nine with medullary thyroid carcinoma and 10 after uni- or bilateral adrenalectomy. Seventeen clinically healthy individuals and 11 patients with neurovegetative lability and symptoms mimicking pheochromocytoma served as controls. Plasma adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine increased after exercise except for adrenaline after bilateral adrenalectomy. The post-exercise levels of adrenaline and the adrenaline/dopamine ratio were significantly higher in the pheochromocytoma patients compared to the healthy controls and the patients with neurovegetative lability, while the patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma represented an intermediate group with a high probability of developing adrenal tumors. The present method is a physiological test with a high sensitivity and specificity. It is practical and well suited for repeated examinations and seems to be of value for the detection of early pheochromocytoma in MEN-2 patients. Furthermore, the test could be used in the differential diagnosis between pheochromocytoma and neurovegetative lability.

The viability of omental splenic implants placed in 16 patients who had undergone splenectomy was assessed with 37 technetium-99m tin colloid studies and five studies with Tc-99m-labeled denatured red blood cells (RBCs). Indications for splenectomy included trauma in eight patients, schistosomal (Bilharzial) portal hypertension in six, splenic artery aneurysm in one, and Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome in one. Studies were done within the 1st month and at various intervals up to 13 months after surgery. Implants in five of eight trauma patients were seen during the 1st month, and implants in seven of seven were seen after 6 months (one patient could not be followed up). Three of six implants in cases of portal hypertension were seen in the 1st month and four of four at 6 months (two patients were not followed up). In two of the five studies with denatured RBCs, Tc-99m tin colloid study was also done 48 hours later; in these cases denatured RBCs were more successful in showing the implants. The authors conclude that radioisotopic procedures are valuable in following up the viability of splenic implants. The "take" of splenic implants in patients with schistosomiasis is equally successful to that in trauma patients.

Journal Article Role of aspiration biopsy cytology in the diagnosis of cold solitary thyroid nodules Get access T Abu-Nema, T Abu-Nema Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 24923, Safat, Kuwait, 13110 Correspondence to: Dr T. Abu-Nema Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar K Ayyash, K Ayyash Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 24923, Safat, Kuwait, 13110 Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar S Tibblin S Tibblin Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 24923, Safat, Kuwait, 13110 Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar British Journal of Surgery, Volume 74, Issue 3, March 1987, Page 203, https://doi.org/10.1002/bjs.1800740317 Published: 06 December 2005 Article history Accepted: 24 September 1986 Published: 06 December 2005

The study comprised 191 cases of surgically treated hyperparathyroidism, with all principal types of parathyroid disease represented. At least two complete glands stained with a modified isopropanol oil red O method for fat, in addition to sections stained with hematoxylin-eosin, were available in each case. On the basis of the morphologic evaluation and the clinical follow-up data, it is concluded that access to two complete glands and the use of fat staining allow highly reliable intraoperative distinction between adenoma and hyperplasia. Of 105 patients followed up for at least one year (mean, 20 months) in whom adenomas were diagnosed, a single possible error was identified. In each of 68 cases classified as hyperplasia on the basis of two abnormal glands, every additional complete gland available (total, 182 glands) was at least partially abnormal, with distinct signs of hyperactivity, irrespective of size. The rate of equivocal findings for cases in which two glands were available (probably adenoma but hyperplasia not excluded) was 8 per cent in 165 cases of primary hyperparathyroidism. These results justify limitation of surgery to one side of the neck in patients in whom adenoma is diagnosed on the basis of a complete, functionally normal (inactive) gland in addition to the presumed adenoma. Thus, the methods described provide a basis for optimal utilization of imaging techniques that allow preoperative localization of parathyroid adenomas.

One hundred consecutive patients referred to us for surgical treatment of hyperparathyroidism were examined for thyroid disorders before and during surgery. Examination during surgery was supplemented by thyroid biopsy or by lobectomy in 49 cases. The sensitivity of clinical examination of the thyroid was 38%, its specificity 100%. Most clinically occult changes were discrete but four patients had nodules of 2 cm or more in diameter. The prevalence of thyroid disorders in our patients was 50%. The question whether this figure can be generalized to the population at large is briefly discussed. Our findings suggest that the sensitivity of clinical examination of the thyroid is low, even in the hands of trained clinicians.

The extent and result of surgery in 39 cases of nonfamilial primary parathyroid hyperplasia followed from 2 to 20 years are reported. Thirteen patients had been subjected to subtotal parathyroidectomy leaving no gland intact, while 26 had undergone less extensive surgery leaving at least one grossly normal or near-normal gland intact without biopsy. In the former group two patients (15%) developed permanent hypoparathyroidism requiring vitamin D treatment. In the latter group there were two patients (8%) with persistent hypercalcemia, which might have been avoided with a subtotal parathyroidectomy. Judging from these results, we believe that an individualized surgical approach is justifiable in nonfamilial primary parathyroid hyperplasia. Subtotal parathyroidectomy, leaving no gland intact, is advocated as the method of choice only when all four glands are enlarged. If one or more glands are grossly normal or near normal, factors such as degree of hypercalcemia, symptoms, age, general condition, and life expectancy should be taken into consideration when the extent of the operation is decided. A more conservative operation leaving at least one grossly normal gland intact without biopsy appears to be sufficient for cure in most of these cases and minimizes the risk for development of permanent hypoparathyroidism.

The possible influence of cigarette smoking on goiter formation, thyroglobulin (Tg) secretion, and thyroid hormone production was assessed by estimations of the presence of palpable goiter and by RIAs of Tg, T3, rT3, T4, and TSH in sera from 441 women (48-53 yr old), representing a normal population included in a study on the prevalence of thyroid disease. Smoking habits were evaluated by a questionnaire, and the women were then classified as never smokers (n = 192), smokers (n = 169), and exsmokers (n = 80). Smokers were subdivided as moderate (1-19 cigarettes/day) and heavy (greater than or equal to 20 cigarettes/day). Palpable goiter was found in 15% of the smokers, in contrast to only 4% of the exsmokers and 9% of the never smokers. Among smokers, 37% had serum Tg values over 30 micrograms/liter (third quartile), while such values were found in only 16% of the exsmokers and 18% of the never smokers. In addition, smokers were found to have higher serum T3 and lower rT3 concentrations than never smokers; this difference was most pronounced in heavy smokers. Serum T4 was not different, while TSH was insignificantly lower in smokers than in nonsmokers. Exsmokers did not differ significantly from never smokers in any of these parameters. It seems possible that cigarette smoking may have two, calorigenically opposed, effects on thyroid hormone production; it may be goitrogenic (possibly due to inhaled thiocyanate), but it may also enhance the formation of T3 at the expense of rT3 formation.

Based on the postulate that parathyroid adenoma is practically always a solitary lesion, unilateral parathyroidectomy including the homolateral normal parathyroid was applied as a principle in the treatment of this form of primary hyperparathyroidism. The exploration was confined to the adenoma side if this was the first to be explored. Intraoperative oil-red-O staining of frozen sections was used to exclude the possibility of a multiglandular involvement. This principle was applied in a consecutive series of 102 patients operated for hyperparathyroidism from 1977 to 1981 and diagnosed as parathyroid adenoma. In 43 patients where the abnormal gland was found on the side explored first, unilateral parathyroidectomy was performed on that side, avoiding exploration of the contralateral side. In 45 patients where normal glands were found on the side first explored, unilateral parathyroidectomy was performed on the contralateral side. In 14 patients other types of operations were performed as the above-mentioned principle could not be achieved. At follow-up 1 to 5 years after surgery, no cases of hypocalcemia were recorded. The results of the different operations were compared as to early and late hypocalcemia. Early hypercalcemia was more pronounced after a bilateral exploration. Two of the patients who had an atypical operation had a permanent need for vitamin D in order to maintain an adequate serum calcium level. Surgical principles for various possible exploratory findings are outlined. These are based upon the idea of performing a unilateral parathyroidectomy whenever intraoperative oil-red-O staining excludes multiglandular involvement as a cause for the hyperparathyroidism.

Unilateral parathyroidectomy (UPTX) was applied as surgical principle for parathyroid adenoma 102 consecutive patients. Intraoperative oil-red-O staining was used for distinction between autonomous and suppressed chief cells. UPTX without contralateral exploration was achieved in 43 patients. In 45 patients two microscopically normal parathyroids were found at the first side and UPTX was performed contralaterally where the adenoma was located. In 14 patients non-UPTX was performed. If more than one, macroscopically, normal parathyroid was found one was removed for histopathology. The intended gland identification was achieved in 93-97%. Supernumerary glands were found in seven patients. Postoperative hypocalcemia was more pronounced after "atypical" operations than UPTX following bilateral exploration. All patients were followed up at least one year. None has developed hypercalcemia. Vitamin D-requiring hypocalcemia is present in two "atypically" operated patients. Removal of one, macroscopically, normal gland, preferably from the adenoma side is advocated. If UPTX can be performed at the first side explored, the contralateral need no exploration.

Recommended Citation Telenius-Berg, Margareta; Berg, Bertel; Hamberger, Bertil; Tibblin, Sten; Tisell, Lars-Erik; Ysander, Lars; and Welander, Gunnar (1984) "Impact of Screening on Prognosis in the Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2 Syndromes: Natural History and Treatment Results in 105 Patients," Henry Ford Hospital Medical Journal : Vol. 32 : No. 4 , 225-232. Available at: https://scholarlycommons.henryford.com/hfhmedjournal/vol32/iss4/5

A survey of thyroid disease was conducted in 477 middle-aged women selected at random in an urban area where goiter is not endemic. The overall occurrence of thyroid disease was estimated to be 16.2%. Previously known disease was reported by 6.7% of those surveyed, and an additional 9.5% were diagnosed in the present study. The prevalence of all goiter was 11.3%, and of a palpable solitary nodule, 6.5%. Women with goiter were examined by thyroid scintigraphy and fine-needle aspiration cytology. The results of these examinations combined with the conventional clinical examination were considered a sufficient basis for benign diagnosis in all cases except one, a woman with a solitary nodule who was surgically treated because the cytologic report indicated follicular neoplasm; histopathology, however, revealed colloid goiter. The accumulated incidence of hyperthyroidism was 2.3% and of hypothyroidism 0.8%. It is concluded that goiter is a common disorder among women living in non-endemic areas, and that most goiter, including palpable solitary nodules, can be classified after evaluation as multinodular goiter.

One hundred four cases of clinically significant thyroid carcinoma (TC) occurred in a demographically well defined area with, on an average, 243,000 inhabitants, during an 18-year period, corresponding to a yearly incidence of 2.4 per 100,000. During the later years of the study there was an increase of the age-standardized incidence of differentiated TC. The reason for this is suggested to be a greater health awareness, because only the number of tumors with less advanced growth increased. Sixty-one patients had, as the only presenting sign, a solitary thyroid nodule, while 24 had obviously malignant disease. All cases were revised histologically. Sixty-six patients were found to have papillary carcinoma, whereas 22 cases were diagnosed as follicular, 4 as medullary, and 12 as anaplastic. The prognosis, as estimated by the life-table method, was worse for patients with anaplastic cancer followed by follicular, papillary, and medullary. Within the papillary group, patients with occult cancer, i.e., thyroid tumor not larger than 1.5 cm, and intrathyroidal cancer, i.e., thyroid tumor larger than 1.5 cm but not penetrating the thyroid capsule, had a cumulated survival rate not significantly different from the expected rate, and only 1 of the 46 patients belonging to these two subgroups, died from TC.