J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 57(1): 20-34, 1956

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STUDIES ON THE FUNCTION OF THE THYROID GLAND FOLLOWING SURGICAL STRESS

The author attempted to study the role of the thyroid gland playing in the multiple readjustment within the human subject following surgical procedure, and investigated the relationship of the thyroid activity to the metabolism of water, electrolyles, glucose and adrenocortical hormones in the postoperative period. I₁₃₁ uptake, I₁₃₁ conversion-ratio, and PBI were measured on 94 surgical patients, 50 dogs and 80 rats. Furtheremore, histological appearances of the glands were examined in these specimens. The influence of surgical operation, thermal burns and some hormonal factors upon the thyroid activity were taken into consideration.
The results obtained were as folows : ―
1) In surgical patients except the case of thyroid disease, the thyroid activity was within normal range.
2)The thyroid activity was markedly depressed after administration of either ACTH or adrenocortical hormone, as indicated by lowered uptake of radioactive iodine and by histological appearance.
3) lt seemed that adrenalin and acetylcholine diminished the colloid content of the thyroid gland.
4) Similar depression of the thyroid activity was observed after surgical operation. The level of PBI was lowered for a few days after major surgery.
5) In the postoperative recovery stadium, the increased ADS in serum was diminished and the level of PBI reached the same or higher level than in the preoperative period. This phenomenon was seemingly related to postoperative recovery diuresis, and to the metabolism of sodium and potassium.
6) The postoperative hypothyroidism combined with the adrenal insufficiency was one of the causative factors for the so-called water intoxication.
(author's abstract)

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