DEVELOPMENT OF GRAVES-DISEASE AFTER SURGICAL-TREATMENT FOR THYROID-NODULES - REPORT OF 4 CASES

We report herein rare cases who developed hyperthyroid Graves' disease after surgical treatments for thyroid nodules. We have seen only 4 su ch cases in the course of 1680 consective cases (0.24%) of thyroidecto mies in which partial thyroidectomy was carried out from 1966 to 1993. It is of interest that because 2 of these three cases (67%) were asso ciated with positive TGHA and/or MCHA at the time of surgery, the pres ence of autoimmune thyroiditis may predispose to Graves' disease, but surgical treatment of the thyroid glands may not be related to the dev elopment of Graves' disease, because the hyperthyroid symptoms appeare d 2 to 27 years (mean: 12 years) after the surgery.