Question:medium
Regarding retrosternal goitre, which of the following statements is true?
Regarding retrosternal goitre, which of the following statements is true?
Show Hint
One option about imaging is universally true, the other three over-state surgery or get the blood supply backwards.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- All patients should undergo a CT scan of the chest
- All patients require a median sternotomy for removal
- It receives its blood supply from the thoracic (intrathoracic) vessels
- The majority of retrosternal goitres should be operated immediately
Show Solution
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
True/false each line.
A) CT chest for all patients: TRUE. The gland sits in the mediastinum, so cross-sectional imaging is mandatory to plan the operation and assess tracheal compression.
B) Median sternotomy for all: FALSE. The great majority are removed through the neck; sternotomy is the exception, not the rule.
C) Blood supply from thoracic vessels: FALSE. Because the goitre descends from the neck, it keeps its cervical pedicle and is fed by the inferior thyroid arteries from the neck.
D) Operate immediately on most: FALSE. These are slow-growing and managed as elective surgery, not emergencies.
Only statement A survives, so the answer is that all patients should undergo a CT scan of the chest. Ref: Bailey and Love, Short Practice of Surgery, 27th edition, 2018; SRB's Manual of Surgery, 4th edition.
A) CT chest for all patients: TRUE. The gland sits in the mediastinum, so cross-sectional imaging is mandatory to plan the operation and assess tracheal compression.
B) Median sternotomy for all: FALSE. The great majority are removed through the neck; sternotomy is the exception, not the rule.
C) Blood supply from thoracic vessels: FALSE. Because the goitre descends from the neck, it keeps its cervical pedicle and is fed by the inferior thyroid arteries from the neck.
D) Operate immediately on most: FALSE. These are slow-growing and managed as elective surgery, not emergencies.
Only statement A survives, so the answer is that all patients should undergo a CT scan of the chest. Ref: Bailey and Love, Short Practice of Surgery, 27th edition, 2018; SRB's Manual of Surgery, 4th edition.
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