Goiter in childhood

Abstract

Twenty eight cases with the diagnosis of goiter (one newborn (7/365 day) and the others aged between 9-16 years) were managed and treated at Ondokuz Mayis University, Faculty of Medicine, Pediatric Surgery Department, during June 1983 and April 1994. Of these cases 19 were female (67.8 %) and nine were male (32.2 %). We detected diffuse hyperplasia in eight patients, multinodular goiter in other eight patients and solitary nodular goiter in 12 patients. All cases were treated surgically. There were temporary postoperative complications in ten cases and the newborn patient died on the first postoperative day. Although in the literature it is strongly emphasized that there is an increased malignancy incidence in solitary thyroid nodule during childhood, we have not detected any histological malignancy in our series.