Giant Cell Arteritis of the Thyroid Gland as First Evidence of Systemic Disease

摘要

W cell arteritis (GCA) following histological exam- ination of the thyroid. A 72-year-old woman presented with a euthyroid nodular goiter and underwent a left lo- bectomy due to the fact that the contralateral lobe was normal on thyroid sonogram. The histopathological anal- ysis of the thyroid lobectomy showed hyperplastic nod- ules, two follicular adenomas (one of them composed of Hiirthle cells), and a characteristic inflammatory process with giant cells involving multiple intrathyroidal and per- ithyroidal arteries (Figure 1). After diagnosis of GCA in the thyroid, a new clinical evaluation revealed a history of myalgias with generalized weakness, jaw muscle claudi- cation, absence of pulsation in both temporal arteries, and an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Therapy with prednisone was initiated, with clinical improvement and normalization of erythrocyte sedimentation rate noted.