Pathomorphology of the thyroid gland (based on emergency biopsy)

The term "struma" denotes any increase of the thyroid volume and weight regardless of its nature. In no other organ there are so frequent polymorphic structures stimulating neoplastic growth. This does not allow for a wide use the diagnosis of early thyroid carcinoma. Differentiation of the thyroid lesions is to a great extent possible due to stereomorphologic and rapid histotopographic study of surgical material with its subsequent embedding into paraffin. Nodular and adenomatoid struma was found in 60%, follicular adenomas in 11% cases among 20,000 operated patients with euthyroidism in a non-general endocrinological department. Thyroid carcinoma represented 5% and autoimmune thyroiditis in 4% while before the operation they were diagnosed in 1% cases only. Microcarcinoma among routine biopsies was revealed every year 10-15 times more rarely than among urgent histotopographic biopsies. Thus it is advisable to use more widely intraoperative biopsies in euthyroid diseases with subsequent comparison to postoperative histological findings.