A Case of Thyroid Abscess Associated with Lymphocytic Thyroidits

Acute suppurative thyroiditis is an uncommon disease, which usually affects patients with pre-existing thyroid gland pathology. Here, a case of thyroid abscess associated with lymphocytic thyroiditis, was experienced in a 35-year-old female. She had a fever, chill, sore throat and tenderness in the area of the left thyroid of 10 days duration. She visited our hospital due to her persistent sore throat, which did not subside after antibiotics treatment for 5 days. On neck ultrasonography, a heterogeneous nodule (1.3×1.5×2.1 cm) in the right lobe and cyst-like nodule (1.8×1.5×2.8 cm) in the left lobe of the thyroid were found. The thyroid gland showed slightly increased, uneven uptake of Tc-99m on a thyroid scan. Pus-like fluid aspirated from the left nodule showed numerous neutrophils and necrotic materials on cytological examination. Abundant lymphocytes were found in aspirates from the right thyroid nodule. Neither a finding suggestive of pyriform sinus nor other anomaly was discovered in the neck CT scan and UGI series. After further antibiotic treatments for 2 weeks, the inflammatory symptoms and thyroid tenderness completely subsided. However, the nodule in the right lobe of the thyroid was still palpable, but without tenderness when examined after 4 weeks (J Kor Soc Endocrinol 20:385~389, 2005).