Graves' disease in two pregnancies complicated by fetal goitrous hypothyroidism: successful in utero treatment with levothyroxine

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

  • Sofie Bliddal
  • Åse Krogh Rasmussen
  • Karin Sundberg
  • Vibeke Brocks
  • Peter Skovbo
  • Feldt-Rasmussen, Ulla
  • Sofie Bliddal
Treatment of Graves' disease during pregnancy with antithyroid drugs (ATDs) poses a risk of inducing hypothyroidism and, thus, development of a goiter to the fetus. PATIENT FINDINGS: We report two patients referred to our department after discovery of a fetal goiter by ultrasound examination in the second trimester of pregnancy. The women receiving 400¿mg/day propylthiouracil and 10¿mg/day thiamizole, respectively, had thyrotropin and total thyroxine values within the normal reference range but a lowered free thyroxine level. Fetal blood sampling by cordocentesis revealed severe fetal hypothyroidism as the cause of goiter development. Reduction of maternal ATD dose and injection of levothyroxine intra-amniotically quickly reduced the goiter size, and both babies were born euthyroid and without goiters.
Original languageEnglish
JournalThyroid
Volume21
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)75-81
Number of pages7
ISSN1050-7256
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2011

ID: 34082415