Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 7, 2026

Palpation thyroiditis

Palpation thyroiditis refers to the development of thyroid inflammation due to mechanical damage to thyroid follicles. This can occur by vigorous repeated palpation or surgical manipulation. It is a type of subacute thyroiditis. Pathology shows multifocal granulomatous folliculitis. T cells predominate compared to B cells. There may be initial transient hyperthyroidism due to leakage of preformed thyroid hormone in blood.

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Jun 7, 2026
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Palpation thyroiditis refers to the development of thyroid inflammation due to mechanical damage to thyroid follicles.1 This can occur by vigorous repeated palpation (as with thyroid examination) or surgical manipulation (as can occur with radical neck dissection). It is a type of subacute thyroiditis. Pathology shows multifocal granulomatous folliculitis. T cells predominate compared to B cells. There may be initial transient hyperthyroidism due to leakage of preformed thyroid hormone in blood.23

References

References

  1. Madill, EM; Cooray, SD; Bach, LA (2016). "Palpation thyroiditis following subtotal parathyroidectomy for hyperparathyroidism". Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Case Reports. 2016. doi:10.1530/EDM-16-0049. PMC 4967109. PMID 27482385.
  2. Carney, J.; Moore, S.; Northcutt, R.; Woolner, L.; Stillwell, G. (1975). "Palpation thyroiditis (multifocal granulomatour folliculitis)". American Journal of Clinical Pathology. 64 (5): 639–647. doi:10.1093/ajcp/64.5.639. PMID 1242618.
  3. Becker, Kenneth L. (2001), Kenneth L. Becker (ed.), Principles and practice of endocrinology and metabolism, Page 957 (3 ed.), Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, p. 461, ISBN 978-0-7817-1750-2