Double filtration plasmapheresis in antithyroid drug-refractory Graves disease with a massive goiter
We report a case of double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) performed in medication-resistant Graves disease (GD) with a massive goiter. A 19-year-old female was diagnosed with GD and initially demonstrated poor medication compliance. She presented with loss of consciousness from hypoxemia due to goiter-related tracheal narrowing. Despite inpatient drug therapy, the thyroid hormone levels remained high. We performed DFPP to control thyrotoxicosis before proceeding with thyroidectomy. After 4 sessions, thyroid hormone levels improved, enabling total thyroidectomy. GD with a large goiter may be refractory to medical therapy. In such cases, DFPP can improve thyroid hormone levels.
Authors
- Hiroyuki Uchinuma
- H Ishii
- Miku Yamazaki
- Yuka Yokota
- Kyoichiro Tsuchiya (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2863-4561)
- Takeshi Moriguchi
Institutions
- University of Yamanashi Hospital (JP)
- University of Yamanashi (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- JCEM Case Reports
- Published
- 2026-04-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1210/jcemcr/luag095
- Primary Topic
- Thyroid Disorders and Treatments
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00