Mr. Ochoa-maya et al., Resolution of fetal goiter after discontinuation of propylthiouracil in a pregnant woman with Graves' hyperthyroidism, THYROID, 9(11), 1999, pp. 1111-1114
We report a case of Graves' hyperthyroidism in a 34-year-old pregnant woman
treated with propylthiouracil (PTU) complicated by the development of a fe
tal goiter. Because of the fetal goiter and normal maternal thyroid functio
n tests, the PTU was discontinued. Over the next 10 weeks, there was a prog
ressive decrease in the fetal thyroid volume as documented by ultrasonograp
hy. The fetal neck returned to a normal flexed position, fetal growth and a
mniotic fluid remained normal, and the patient remained asymptomatic. A nor
mal infant was delivered at term. This is the first report to demonstrate t
hat noninvasive management may be appropriate for fetuses with goiter cause
d by antithyroid drug therapy.