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Background: The catchment area of the patients under study was the sub-Himalayan plains, which are recognized as iodine-deficient areas., Methods: A retrospective analysis of 1576 surgically treated patients with thyroid disorders is presented. The indications for surgery were hyperthyroidism or cytologically diagnosed malignancy and large size, pressure symptoms, cosmesis, suspicious cytologic findings for malignancy, and clinical suspicion of malignancy in clinically benign euthyroid goiters., Results: Histologically, 83 of 703 solitary thyroid nodules, 36 of 329 clinically benign euthyroid multinodular goiters, and four of 181 Graves' disease were cancers. Of all follicular cell cancers in this study, 132 were papillary, 83 were follicular, and 38 were anaplastic and squamous cell cancers. The different histologic types exhibited an aggressive clinical behavior, with advanced lesions with cervical lymph node involvement and distant metastases frequently seen at presentation. Locoregional recurrence occurred frequently even after radical surgical ablation, and overall mortality caused by the disease was high., Conclusions: Even well-differentiated cancers pursued a virulent clinical course with high mortality, despite routine radical surgical and radionuclide ablation., (2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

During the period 1986-1993, 24 children with hyperthyroidism were referred to us for management. Two of them had factitious hyperthyroidism, one toxic nodular goiter and another neonatal Graves' disease. Twenty children (6M, 14F) had Graves' disease. Their age at presentation was 10.86 +/- 2.02 years and duration of symptoms ranged from 2.5 months to 7 years. Neuropsychiatric manifestations, such as hyperkinesis, irritability, excitability and behavioral problems, were the most common initial presenting symptoms (90%). Goiter of varying grades was present in 18 children. Eye involvement of mild or moderate intensity was present in 85% and cardiac involvement in 30%. Serum free thyroxine and triiodothyronine levels were high and radioactive iodine uptake was elevated. All of them received carbimazole 0.5-0.7 mg/kg in three divided doses. Seventeen responded to therapy over a period of time while three did not. On withdrawal, six of the responders relapsed. Hyperthyroidism in children is rare and when it occurs it is almost always due to Graves' disease. The prominence of neuropsychiatric symptoms, insidious onset and absence of severe infiltrative ophthalmopathy differentiates it from the adult type of disease. Prolonged medical therapy is needed to induce good continued remission.