Thyroid function test in patient with acute-severe-nonthyroidal illnesses.

Patients with acute-severe-nonthyroidal illnesses had FT4 and T3 values below the normal range with the magnitude of change greater for T3 than FT4. Some patients had depressed and some had elevated TSH values. In the recovery phase, FT4 levels appeared to rise before T3 levels and TSH exhibited an exaggerated increase. These results are consistent with other studies which suggest that dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis may be associated with anomalous results for thyroid function test parameters in patients with acute-severe-nonthyroidal illnesses. This anomaly should be given due consideration when interpreting results of thyroid function test parameters in such patients.

Radionuclide scanning in single palpable thyroid nodule.

Radionuclide scanning using technetium pertechnetate rectilinear scan of the thyroid was performed on 428 patients judged to have single thyroid nodule by palpation. Eighty one percent of these patients were show to show decrease uptake in single thyroid nodule. Among these 184 cases, histological evidences of carcinoma were seen in 64 cases (34.7%), 61 cases were follicular adenoma, while 14 were autoimmune thyroiditis and 8 were simple cysts. It was concluded that the hypofunctioning solitary nodule without clinical evidence of malignancy need not always be cancerous. Still the evidence recognized is high enough to warrant surgery in all patients with palpable single nodule and reduced nodular uptake.