Associate Professor, Doctor Vu Huu Vinh, Director of the Thoracic and Vascular Surgery Center at Tam Anh General Hospital Ho Chi Minh City, stated that Ethan, a Singaporean national, was diagnosed with Basedow's disease. This autoimmune condition causes the thyroid gland to produce excessive hormones, leading to hyperthyroidism. The condition primarily affects women aged 20-40 and rarely occurs in adolescents.

Common symptoms include an enlarged neck, bulging eyes, rapid heartbeat, anxiety, hand tremors, excessive sweating, insomnia, weight loss despite increased appetite, and irritability. An ultrasound of the boy's neck also revealed a 3 cm thyroid cyst filled with fluid.

According to Associate Professor Vinh, if left untreated, a large cyst can compress the trachea, esophagus, and laryngeal nerves, causing difficulty breathing, swallowing issues, and hoarseness. He recommended surgery to remove the cyst. Before surgery, the patient underwent medical treatment to stabilize the hyperthyroid condition, preventing the risk of a dangerous "thyroid storm" which can lead to cardiac arrhythmia and multi-organ failure.

After one month of anti-thyroid medication, beta-blockers, and thyroid-supporting solutions, Ethan's thyroid function stabilized, with a heart rate below 100 beats/minute, making him eligible for surgery.

Associate Professor Vinh (left) performing thyroid surgery on a patient. Photo: Tam Anh General Hospital

According to Associate Professor Vinh, in patients with Basedow's disease, abnormal proliferation of thyroid blood vessels poses a high risk of bleeding during and after surgery. The surgical team used an ultrasonic scalpel to simultaneously cut tissue and seal blood vessels, completely removing the left thyroid lobe containing the cyst while preserving the healthy right thyroid lobe, recurrent laryngeal nerve, trachea, and parathyroid glands.

Post-surgery, the cyst was completely removed without nerve damage, ensuring the patient's thyroid function recovery. Subsequent pathology results confirmed the cyst was benign. The reduced overall thyroid tissue volume in the body made it easier to manage hyperthyroidism with medication.

Ethan recovered quickly, experienced no pain, ate normally, was discharged after three days, and did not require lifelong thyroid hormone medication.

A nurse changing a patient's dressing after surgery. Photo: Tam Anh General Hospital

According to Associate Professor Vinh, many parents mistakenly attribute symptoms like an enlarged neck, voice changes, or irritability in children to normal pubertal development, leading them to delay seeking medical attention. Such delays can cause the condition to worsen, increasing the risk of complications and making treatment more complex.

Bao Anh

* Patient's name has been changed