[Endemic goitre before and after goitre prophylaxis (author's transl)].

Between 1952 and 1977 there has been a considerable change in the type of goitre operated on in the endemic area of the Austrian Tyrol. Iodine prophylaxis had proved significantly more effective in men: the consequences appear earlier and extend into the middle age groups. As a result, the type of surgical specimen is much more like that seen in non-endemic areas. The incidence of diffuse colloid goitre decreased, as that of adenomatous goitre increased. Among the adenomas, the number of the colloid-rich form has increased. Instead of diffuse or multinodular goitre one now frequently encounters the symptom-free, often uninodular, goitre. The total number of goitre operations has also decreased.