[Morphology and clinical features of autoimmune thyroid diseases].

The aetiopathogenesis of autoimmune thyroid diseases is the subject of various partly contradicting hypotheses and theories. Morphologically, these illnesses are associated with a broad spectrum of overlapping changes. Thus, pathology either can not serve as the logical basis for a new classification of autoimmune thyroid diseases. This overview therefore makes use of the conventional nomenclature of clinically established entities and includes recently defined lesions. Besides histological characteristics details of differential diagnostic value are presented in the context of clinical and laboratory data relevant for pathological typing.