Thyroid function after surgical treatment of nontoxic goitre. A randomized study of postoperative thyroxine administration.

Following thyroid resection for nontoxic goitre, 29 euthyroid patients were randomly allocated to no medication or to 0.2 mg levothyroxine daily (17 and 12 patients). The two groups were comparable in age, sex, extent of surgery and thyroid pathology. The patients were free from other endocrine disorders and had no other medication. Serum TSH, T4 and T3 were measured and T3-resin test performed preoperatively and 14 days and 3, 6, 12 and 18 months postoperatively. All values were within normal range. Only at the 3-month follow-up could statistically significant intergroup differences be observed, with T4 higher in the thyroxine-treated and TSH higher in the untreated group, but the outset values were thereafter regained. The T3 values in both groups were slightly reduced immediately after the operation. There was no recurrence of goitre in the 18-month observation period, and none of the findings suggested that routine thyroxine treatment is of value after resection of nontoxic goitre "in Denmark".