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Is Fast Thyroid Regrowth 10 Years After A Total Thyroidectomy Abnormal?

Posted on Tue, 7 Feb 2017

Question: I am asking if after having your thyroid removed for enlarged goiter from Hashimotos, which was 0ver 10 years ago; if it is unusual for 1 whole lobe of the thyroid to grow back?

Answered by Dr. Elona (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Yes,it is unusual.

Detailed Answer:
Hello dear,
I read carefully your concern and understood your concern.

A fast Thyroid regrowth 10 years after total thyroidectomy is abnormal.
Sorry to say but this can be the presentation of a thyroid malignancy.

If your husband were my patient, i'd perform a thyroid ultrasound to see if the mass is thyroid tissue or not (and the features of this mass) and if there are any lymph nodes in his neck ?

But the most important test for him is a Fine needle aspiration cytology of the thyroid mass.
This test will give all the information we need, if there is a normal or an abnormal thyroid tissue.The treatment is done accordingly to the FNA result.

In this case, the surgery is indicated and a strict follow up after surgery is indispensable.

Hope this information is helpful for you.
If you have further questions, feel free and ask. I will be happy to help.

Thank you for using HCM.
Take care and best wishes.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee

Follow up: Dr. Elona (22 hours later)

Dr., thank you so much for your prompt response to my question. I will also tell you that There were 2 ultrasounds taken of the thyroid area within 3 mos. of each other and in that time frame the tissue had grown 5cm. Now the surgeon and the radiologist felt the lobe looked like a normal thyroid lobe and not suspicious for CA. But I contended that tissue growing at this rate well shouldn't it be looked at before it's removed? Because aren't there different protocols used if it's CA?

Answered by Dr. Elona (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:
This is a good news.

Detailed Answer:
Hello

Neck Ultrasonds give a lot of valuable information for the diagnose of the thyroid mass and if the surgeon and the radiologist that have studied the ultrasound characteristics of your thyroid tissue concluded that it is normal and is not suspicious for Ca ,this is a good think.(so don't worry.)

Anyway a FNA of the thyroid tissue in my opinion is necessary(give a more reliable imformation.)

I don't know why the doctors shouldn't see the thyroid growing tissue before it's removed...The most probable option is that the surgeon that has performed the total thyroidectomy has left a small portion of thyroid tissue.

If it is Ca the protocol for the diagnose is:medical hystory(symptoms and sigs),ultrasound characteristics and FNA results of the regrowing thyroid tissue.For the treatement the recommandations are surgery or radioiodine ablation and Levothyroxine therapy to supress the TSH level to minimal.

Hope this information is useful.
Wish you good health.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad