Pattern of intrathoracic goiter in Ibadan, Nigeria.

This study is to review the pattern of intrathoracic goiter in a large black population. In a retrospective review, the cardiothoracic unit managed ninety-eight primary mediastinal masses of which sixteen patients with intrathoracic goiters were treated during the same period. This constitutes 1.3% of treated goiters and 16.3% of primary mediastinal masses. Seventy-five per cent of the intrathoracic goiters were in association with cervical goiters. Twelve of the intrathoratic goiters were located in the anterosuperior mediastinum, and two in the middle mediastinum. There were three goiters in the posterior mediastinum. Six patients had cervical exploration and median sternotomy, three had cervical exploration and thoractomy, 3 had only thoractomy, two had only median sternotomy for excision. Thirteen patients (81.3%) had either simple colloid or multinodular intrathoracic goiter, one had follicular adenoma, and 2 patients had malignant goiters. One patient had recurrent cervical goiter. The endemicity of thyroid disease does not seem to increase the frequency of intrathoracic goiter.