1992 Volume 53 Issue 6 Pages 1257-1260
Twenty six cases of autonomously functioning thyroid nodule (AFTN), including 9 cases with toxic symptoms (toxic group) and 17 without toxic symptoms (non-toxic group), were experienced and their clinical and pathological characteristics were examined. AFTN existed in 2.9% of all thyroid tumors, and occurred predominatly in females (1:7.7). Mean time to admission of toxic group was significantly longer than that of non-toxic group (p<0.05). Mean tumor size of toxic group was significantly larger than that of non-toxic group (p<0.05). Mean T3 level in toxic group was higher than cut-off value (1.8 ng/ml), mean T3 and T3/T4 ratio in toxic group being significantly higher than those in non-toxic group (p<0.01, p<0.05). Histopathologically, almost two thirds of AFTNs in either group were adenomatous goiters, and about one third of their were adenomas. Three out of 26 cases of AFTN simultaneously associated with a thyroid cancer. Two of the three cases had a non-functioning papillary carcinoma and one, a functioning follicular carcinoma.
