Recombinant Human Thyrotropin-Aided Radioiodine Therapy in Tracheal Obstruction by an Invading Well-Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma

الملخص EN

Papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs) usually extend to lymph nodes in the neck and mediastinum.

Rarely, they invade the neighboring upper airway anatomical structures.

We report a 56-year-old woman who presented with symptoms of upper airway obstruction.

Imaging studies revealed a lesion derived from the thyroid which invaded and obstructed the trachea, which appeared to be a highly differentiated PTC.

Total thyroidectomy was performed, with removal of the endotracheal part of the mass along with the corresponding anterior tracheal rings.

Two months later, a whole body I131 scan after recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone (rh-TSH) administration was performed and revealed a residual mass in upper left thyroid lobe.

Subsequently, 150 mCi I131 were given following rh-TSH administration.

Nine months later, there was no sign of residual tumor.

This case is the first one reported in the literature regarding rh-TSH administration prior to RAI ablation in a PTC obstructing the trachea.