[Suppressive treatment of normothyroid female goitre patients with reference to patient compliance (author's transl)].

Synthetic L-thyroxine (100-150 micrograms/d) was administered for 18 months to 110 female patients with normothyroid diffuse goitre size II. Reduction of size was observed in 60 patients after one year, in a further 10 there was no increase in size. Increase of neck circumference and thyroid gland size in 40 patients could be explained by patient non-compliance in 35 females. Renewed assessment of treatment results after another 6 months showed decrease of neck circumference and thyroid gland size in 98 out of the 110 patients. There were no significant differences among in vitro parameters (total thyroxine, normalisation of thyroxine ratio and triiodothyronine) assessed at 12 and 18 months among patients treated successfully and without success. However, the TRH test for delta TSH (TSH stim-TSH basal) showed significantly higher values after 12 months in the non-compliant group treated without success initially. These differences could not be demonstrated after 18 months. The results show that consideration of compliance behaviour in conjunction with the intravenous TRH test clearly improve results of conservative treatment of normothyroid diffuse goitre.