A 30-year-old woman comes to the office due to a 4 days history of anterior neck pain. The patient had an upper respiratory infection a month ago, during which she experienced nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, and a cough productive of clear sputum; her respiratory symptoms lasted for 5 days and resolved spontaneously. She has no history of serious illness On examination, mild fever, palpitations, and excessive sweating. Pulse is 110/min. The thyroid gland is tender to palpation and diffusely enlarged. Laboratory studies show suppressed TSH and elevated free thyroxine levels. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate is 70 mm/hr.
Thyroid scan is performed and reveals diffusely decreased radioiodine uptake. Which of the following pathological changes would be most likely on biopsy of this patient's thyroid gland?

Question

A 30-year-old woman comes to the office due to a 4 days history of anterior neck pain. The patient had an upper respiratory infection a month ago, during which she experienced nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, and a cough productive of clear sputum; her respiratory symptoms lasted for 5 days and resolved spontaneously. She has no history of serious illness On examination, mild fever, palpitations, and excessive sweating. Pulse is 110/min. The thyroid gland is tender to palpation and diffusely enlarged. Laboratory studies show suppressed TSH and elevated free thyroxine levels. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate is 70 mm/hr.
Thyroid scan is performed and reveals diffusely decreased radioiodine uptake.  Which of the following pathological changes would be most likely on biopsy of this patient's thyroid gland?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Subacute granulomatous (de Quervain) thyroiditis is characterized by painful thyroid enlargement and usually follows a viral illness.  Biopsy shows a mixed inflammatory infiltrate with macrophages and multinucleated giant cells.

A 30-Year-Old Woman Comes to the Office Due to a 4