Clinical characteristics of surgical treatment of toxic diffuse goiter in men

In this study, we evaluated the diagnosis, surgical tactics, and surgical outcomes of patients with toxic diffuse goiter (Graves' disease) treated in the surgical unit of Samara Railway Clinical Hospital over the last 5 years. Men usually have more aggressive disease than women do; their surgical treatment is technically more difficult, because 72.4% of male patients have the thyroid gland located either annularly or behind the sternum. The volume and method of surgery (thyroidectomy or subtotal resection) should be chosen individually with the consideration of disease severity, presence of endocrine ophthalmopathy, and level of antithyroid antibodies (primarily anti-TSH receptor antibodies).