Toft A D, Irvine W J, Hunter W M
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1976 May;42(5):973-6. doi: 10.1210/jcem-42-5-973.
Plasma TSH levels were measured in 115 euthyroid patients with simple goiter, of whom 52 had diffuse and 63 nodular enlargement of the thyroid gland, and in 191 euthyroid patients without goiter. There was no significant difference between the plasma TSH levels in the patients with diffuse goiter and the non-goitrous controls, implying that the maintenance of diffuse hyperplasia is not dependent upon a raised level of plasma TSH. On the other hand, plasma TSH levels in the patients with nodular goiter were significantly lower than those recorded in either the patients with diffuse goiter (P less than 0.01) or in the patients without goiter (P less than 0.0001), supporting the view that thyroid function may be autonomous in nodular goiters.
对115例甲状腺功能正常的单纯性甲状腺肿患者测定了血浆促甲状腺激素（TSH）水平，其中52例甲状腺呈弥漫性肿大，63例呈结节性肿大；同时对191例无甲状腺肿的甲状腺功能正常患者也进行了测定。弥漫性甲状腺肿患者的血浆TSH水平与无甲状腺肿的对照组之间无显著差异，这意味着弥漫性甲状腺增生的维持并不依赖于血浆TSH水平的升高。另一方面，结节性甲状腺肿患者的血浆TSH水平显著低于弥漫性甲状腺肿患者（P＜0.01）或无甲状腺肿患者（P＜0.0001），这支持了结节性甲状腺肿甲状腺功能可能自主的观点。
