INFEKTIOSE THYREOIDITIS ALS ERSTMANIFESTATION EINER EMBOLISIERENDEN AORTENKLAPPEN-ENDOKARDITIS

HISTORY AND CLINICAL FINDINGS: A 47-year-old patient was admitted to hospital with fever (39.2 degrees C), weight loss and sore throat. The right thyroid area was painful on palpation. INVESTIGATIONS: The erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 56/86 mm, white blood cell count 10,600/l, with shift to the left and toxic granulations. Blood culture grew Streptococcus mitis; the echocardiogram showed vegetations on the aortic valve. Therefore aortic valve endocatidits was suspected. Ultrasound examination of the thyroid gland showed an echo poor area with an enlarged thyroid artery; thyroid cytodiagnosis was unremarkable. TREATMENT: The fever quickly subsided on administration of penicillin G (7.5 mill I.U. three times daily) and tobramycin (80 mg three times daily) for two weeks, followed by penicillin G in the same dosage for four more weeks. Vancomycin was then given for two weeks (1 g twice daily intravenously). The aortic valve vegetations were no longer seen three weeks after onset of treatment. Two months after discharge the thyroid and heart were normal on ultrasound examination. CONCLUSION: Bacterial thyroiditis was caused by embolisation to the thyroid artery from vegetations on the aortic valve in aortic valve endocarditis, probably due to carious teeth.