Hypothesis: To investigate the impact of total thyroidectomy on the rate of completion thyroidectomy for incidentally found thyroid cancer in euthyroid multinodular goiter. Design: A randomized, prospective clinical trial. Setting: A tertiary referral center. Patients: Patients with euthyroid multinodular goiter without any preoperative suspicion of malignancy, history of familial thyroid cancer, or previous exposure to radiation were randomized (according to a random table) to total or near-total thyroidectomy leaving no remnant tissue or less than 1 g (group 1; n = 109) or bilateral subtotal thyroidectomy leaving 5 g or more of remnant tissue (group 2; n = 109). Patients with preoperative or perioperative suspicion of malignancy were excluded. Main Outcome Measures: We compared the complication rates and the incidence of thyroid cancer requiring radioactive iodine ablation and completion thyroidectomy between groups. Results: There were no permanent complications. The rates of temporary unilateral vocal cord dysfunction and hypoparathyroidism showed no significant difference between groups 1 and 2 (0.9% vs 0.9% and 1.8% vs 0.9%, respectively; PϾ.05). Papillary cancer was found in 10 group 1 patients (9.2%) and 8 group 2 patients (7.3%) (P=.80). Of the 9 patients requiring radioactive iodine ablation, reoperation was avoided in 5 group 1 patients; the remaining 4 group 2 patients underwent completion thyroidectomy (P =.007). Conclusion: We recommend total or near-total thyroidectomy in multinodular goiter to eliminate the necessity for early completion thyroidectomy in case of a final diagnosis of thyroid cancer.

Subtotal thyroidectomy resulted in a significantly higher rate of completion thyroidectomy for incidentally diagnosed thyroid carcinoma compared with total or near-total thyroidectomy in patients with BMNG. The extent of surgical resection had no significant effect on the rate of permanent complications. We recommend total or near-total thyroidectomy in BMNG to prevent recurrence and to eliminate the necessity for early completion thyroidectomy in case of a final diagnosis of thyroid carcinoma.

Between 1986 and 1991, thyroidectomy was performed on 138 patients with hyperthyroidism. Thyroid carcinoma was found in eight patients (5.8 per cent). Eighty (58.0 per cent) of the 138 patients had toxic nodular goitre, 33 (23.9 per cent) toxic diffuse goitre and 25 (18.1 per cent) toxic adenoma. Concurrent carcinoma was more frequent in patients with toxic adenoma (8 per cent) than in those with Graves' disease (6 per cent) and toxic nodular goitre (5 per cent). Papillary carcinoma was found in seven patients and follicular carcinoma in one. Three papillary carcinomas were occult with a diameter less than 1.5 cm. Five patients received 100 mCi 131I after operation. There was no morbidity. During follow-up of 10-45 months, there was neither death nor recurrence.

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Intraluminal tumor thrombus in great cervical veins as a result of thyroid carcinoma is extremely rare. Three patients (2 Hürthle cell, 1 papillary carcinoma) were surgically treated for thyroid carcinoma associated with tumor thrombus in the great cervical veins. Tumor thrombus in the internal jugular vein due to extension of thyroid carcinoma was found in these 3 patients. Segmental resection of the internal jugular vein was performed in all cases and a tumor thrombectomy from subclavian vein was accomplished in 1 patient. Histological examination verified intraluminal tumor thrombus resulting from invasion of thyroid carcinoma in all patients. The postoperative follow-up period ranged from 1 to 2 years. Of 2 patients undergoing completion thyroidectomy, 1 died of distant metastasis, the other underwent reoperation for local recurrence. The patient who had a definitive primary surgical procedure is free of recurrence. Appropriate initial surgical procedure in rare cases of thyroid carcinoma associated with intraluminal tumor thrombus in great cervical veins seems to improve the clinical outcome of the disease.