[Riedel's struma and fibrous mediastinitis. Positive therapeutic responsiveness to corticoids]

Successful simultaneous stenting of a pulmonary artery and vein in pulmonary vascular stenosis due to silicosis. Case report and literature review

A 58-year-old patient was admitted to the emergency department due to severe respiratory insufficiency. Anamnesis revealed that the patient had experienced increasing stress dyspnea for a few months. Upon imaging, an acute pulmonary embolism was excluded, but peribronchial and hilar soft tissue proliferation with compression of central parts of the pulmonary circulation was found. The patient had a history of silicosis. The histology report showed tumor-free lymph node particles with prominent anthracotic pigment and dust depositions without evidence of IgG4-associated disease. The patient was administered steroid therapy and underwent simultaneous stenting of the left interlobular pulmonary artery and the upper right pulmonary vein. As a result, a significant improvement in symptoms and physical performance was achieved. The diagnosis of inflammatory or, in particular, fibrosing mediastinal processes can be challenging and important clinical symptoms must be taken into account, especially if the pulmonary vasculature is involved. In such cases, the possibility of interventional procedures should be examined in addition to drug therapy options.

A case of Riedel's thyroiditis with pleural and pericardial effusions

Riedel's thyroiditis (RT) is a rare type of chronic thyroiditis of unproven etiology and definite treatment. It can be associated with retroperitoneal, mediastinal, orbital, and hepatic fibrosis. Symptoms arise mainly due to compression of neighboring structures. Surgery is usually required for a definite diagnosis and decompression to relieve the symptoms. Glucocorticoids and tamoxifen are commonly used agents for the pharmacotherapy. We hereby describe the development of pleural and pericardial effusions during the clinical course of an RT case. A 39-year-old woman suffering from neck compression symptoms was admitted to the hospital. After a decompression isthmectomy, RT was diagnosed. She responded well to glucocorticoid therapy after surgery. However, symptoms reoccurred shortly after glucocorticoid withdrawal and the disease process extended to the mediastinum. Tamoxifen was started and the neck and mediastinal mass regressed and her symptoms disappeared considerably for more than 6 months. However, she was readmitted with severe dyspnea and chest pain. Further investigation revealed an exudative pleural and pericardial effusion and mediastinal enlargement. A thorough evaluation of the patient's effusions did not disclose any specific etiological insult. The patient was symptom-free with a considerable reduction of the soft tissue mass and no effusions, and treated successfully with colchicine, azathioprine, and glucocorticoids. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case reported in the literature as an RT presenting with pleuropericardial effusions.

Extensive sterile abscess in an invasive fibrous thyroiditis (Riedel's thyroiditis) caused by an occlusive vasculitis

Riedel's thyroiditis is a rare disease determined by an invasive fibrosclerotic transformation of the thyroid gland. It may be one manifestation of multifocal fibrosis with still unknown etiology. Because it mimics carcinoma, a biopsy must be performed to get the correct diagnosis. The condition is self-limiting when confined to the neck. Prognosis depends on the extent of extracervical fibrosclerosis. We present a patient with a huge cervical and mediastinal, unilateral thyroid mass expanding to the aortic curve, which led to tracheal deviation and compression with symptoms of stridor and dyspnea. These symptoms continued under a course of high-dose steroids; thus an operation was necessary to relieve the airway obstruction and limit inflammation. Intraoperative and pathological findings showed an inflammatory infiltration of the adjacent neck muscles and a sterile abscess caused by an occlusive vasculitis. Therefore, hemithyroidectomy had to be performed instead of a local limited resection.

Riedel's thyroiditis associated with high titers of antimicrosomal and antithyroglobulin antibodies and hypothyroidism

Riedel's thyroiditis is a rare, chronic inflammatory disease of the thyroid gland. The aggressive fibrosis with extension beyond the thyroid into adjacent tissues contrasts with the diffuse, but intracapsular fibrosis of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Most current studies refute the possibility of progression from a highly fibrosing form of Hashimoto's thyroiditis to a Riedel's thyroiditis based on the distinct clinical and laboratory data, although an unknown immunological basis is suggested for both diseases. The authors describe a patient with Riedel's thyroiditis, probably associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, sent to surgery because her cytological examination suggested thyroid malignancy. This patient had clinical and laboratory features of hypothyroidism and very high titers of antimicrosomal and antithyroglobulin antibodies, which decreased after surgery. Pathology studies disclosed Riedel's thyroiditis with intense lymphocytic infiltration suggestive of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Quantitative immunohistochemical studies were not able to distinguish between both diseases.