acute goiter


a·cute goi·ter

a goiter that develops very rapidly.

goiter

(goyt'er) [Fr. goitre fr L. guttur, throat] GOITEREnlargement of the thyroid gland . An enlarged thyroid gland may be caused by thyroiditis, benign thyroid nodules, malignancy, iodine deficiency, or any condition that causes hyperfunction or hypofunction of the gland. Synonym: struma See: illustration

aberrant goiter

A supernumerary goiter.

acute goiter

A goiter that grows rapidly.

adenomatous goiter

An outdated term for multinodular goiter.

colloid goiter

A goiter in which there is a great increase of the follicular contents.

congenital goiter

A goiter present at birth.

cystic goiter

A goiter in which a cyst or cysts are formed, possibly resulting from the degeneration of tissue or liquefaction within an adenoma.

diffuse goiter

A goiter in which the thyroid tissue is diffuse, in contrast to its nodular form as in adenomatous goiter.

diving goiter

A movable goiter, located either below or above the sternal notch.

endemic goiter

Goiter development in certain geographic localities, esp. where the iodine content in food and water is deficient. Goiters are more prevalent in fresh water and lake areas and less so on the seacoast, owing to the lack of iodine in fresh water. The treatment consists of iodine taken orally or in iodized salt.

exophthalmic goiter

Goiter associated with exopthalmos, as in Graves ophthalmopathy. Synonym: thyroid cachexia

fibrous goiter

A goiter with a hyperplastic capsule.

intrathoracic goiter

A goiter in which a portion of the thyroid tissue lies within the thoracic cavity.

lingual goiter

The abnormal finding of thyroid glandular tissue within the tongue.

multinodular goiter

A goiter having many circumscribed nodules.

nodular goiter

A goiter that contains nodules.

parenchymatous goiter

A usually diffuse goiter characterized by multiplication of cells lining the follicles or alveoli. Colloid is usually reduced and the follicular cavities assume various sizes and are often obliterated by the infoldings of their walls. Fibrous tissue may increase markedly. The iodine content of the gland is low.

perivascular goiter

A goiter surrounding a large blood vessel.

retrovascular goiter

A goiter that develops behind a large blood vessel.

simple goiter

A goiter unaccompanied by constitutional symptoms.

substernal goiter

An enlargement of the lower part of the thyroid isthmus.

suffocative goiter

A goiter that causes shortness of breath owing to pressure.

toxic goiter

An exophthalmic goiter or a goiter in which there is an excessive production of the thyroid hormone.

vascular goiter

A goiter due to distention of the blood vessels of the thyroid gland.