A review of one hundred and fifty thyroidectomies following prior irradiation to the head, neck and upper part of the chest.

The records of 150 patients who had operations on the thyroid following prior irradiation to the head, neck and chest regions were analyzed. The over-all incidence of carcinoma of the thyroid in these patients was 32 per cent; however, 8.6 per cent of these were occult microscopic tumors. The technetium scan was found to be a reliable method of identifying nodules of the thyroid, while physical examination proved to be a less accurate method of nodule detection. The multifocal nature of the disease was confirmed in this series in which a 68 per cent incidence of residual carcinoma was detected in patients in whom reoperation was required.