2014 Volume 60 Issue 1 Pages 24-28
We herein report a case of transient thyroid swelling which occurred after fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of an adenomatous goiter. A 71-year-old man was diagnosed with nodular goiter of the left lobe of his thyroid gland at another hospital, and was referred to our hospital because the thyroid had increased in size. He has no history of allergy. FNAC was performed with a 22-gauge needle on the left lobe. 3 hours later, he complained of swelling and pain in the neck. No airway obstruction was observed. The next day, the tumor in the left lobe was observed to have swollen from 30 mm to 40 mm in size on US. Both steroids and antibiotics were administered orally,and the symptoms improved within a few days. We thereafter performed a partial thyroidectomy, and the patient was discharged without any complications. Inflammatory cell infiltration and a bacterial colony were identified pathologically. The mechanisms for the observed swelling, such as allergy, infection, and hemorrhaging were suspected. The occurrence of swelling of the thyroid following fine needle aspiration is discussed.
