Silent thyroiditis is a transient form of hyperthyroidism characterized by a painless, nontender thyroid gland, elevated blood levels of thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), a low radioactive technesium uptake, and spontaneously resolving hyperthyroidism.
We report a case of silent thyroiditis after head and neck surgery. Total laryngectomy and right hemithyroidectomy was performed on a 67-year old man with a diagnosis of recurrent laryngeal carcinoma. After this surgery, the patient had symptoms of thyrotoxicosis: hypertension, hyperglycemia, palpitation, tremor and weight loss. Silent thyroiditis was diagnosed on the basis of both the clinical course and the laboratory data: low uptake of radioactive technesium, and elevated blood levels of T3 and T4. We treated him with β-blocker and insulin. The symptoms disappeared within one month after the operation. This case suggests that silent thyroiditis can be a post-operative complication of head and neck surgery.