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Thyroid showing a diffuse simple, nodular goitre

GC.14754

Thyroid showing a diffuse simple, nodular goitre. From a male aged 57 years. A large goitre had bean present for many years; this is a swelling in the next resulting from an enlarged thyroid gland. A thyreoidectomy was carried out because of respiratory distress in the last few months. The specimen consists of the whole thyroid gland which is enormously enlarged and weighs 540 gms (a normal specimen weighs 20-30). The parenchyma is replaced by numerous nodules from 1 to 3 cm in diameter which are solid or cystic, colloid containing or composed of grey flashy tissue. Microscopical examination: A wide range of histological appearances are seen in different nodules. Some contain an active hyperplastic epithelium of columnar cells lining large irregular colloid containing acini. At the other extreme, the solid nodules are full of cuboidal cells in compact cords or smell acini separated by abundant hyaline stroma. In some of these an origin by re-epithelialisation of colloid cysts can be inferred by the presence of extra-glandular colloid material. Between the nodules there at. atrophied remnants of thyroid parenchyma and strands of fibrous tissue.

Twentieth century