Goitre

Goitre, Bronchocele, the term applied to diseases of the thyroid body. The thyroid body or gland is situated in the neck, and consists of two lobes, with a connecting middle lobe or isthmus, which lies just in front of the windpipe. The gland substance is richly supplied with blood-vessels, and consists of a number of vesicles (thyroid vesicles) which are filled with a transparent material (colloid substance). Isolated cases of goitre are met with in all parts of the world, but the disease occurs with especial frequency in certain localities, in which places it is therefore -said to be endemic. In the Swiss valleys, and in certain parts of the Himalayas, goitre is common. In England it is much more rare, but affects certain counties, notably Derbyshire, whence the name "Derbyshire neck." Apart from the disfigurement caused by the tumour, goitre may produce certain serious consequences, notably, it may give rise to symptoms caused by the pressure exerted upon important structures, which lie in the neck in close juxtaposition to the thyroid gland. The most frequent "pressure effect" produced by a thyroid tumour is constriction of the trachea or windpipe, leading to difficulty of breathing; this symptom is most commonly associated with enlargement of the middle lobe of the thyroid body.