Goiter medical therapy
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Goiter Microchapters |
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Diagnosis |
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Treatment |
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Case Studies |
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Goiter medical therapy On the Web |
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American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Goiter medical therapy |
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Risk calculators and risk factors for Goiter medical therapy |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Treatment
Treatment for goiter may not be necessary if the goiter is small. Hypothyroidism should be treated, and this treatment often leads to a substantial reduction in the size of the goiter. Removal of the goiter may be necessary if it causes difficulty with breathing or swallowing. There is now an alternative to surgery in large goiters. Radioiodine therapy with or without the pre-injection of a synthetic thyroid stimulating hormone, TSH, can relieve obstruction and reduce the size of the goiter by 30-65%. But removal of a goiter requires removing the thyroid. The complete removal of the thyroid gland removes the body's ability to produce thyroid hormone. In this case, supplements of oral thyroxine are necessary to avoid harm from hypothyroidism.