Question:
Regarding retrosternal goitre, which of the following statements is true?
Regarding retrosternal goitre, which of the following statements is true?
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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
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The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Correct option: All patients should undergo a CT scan of the chest.
Step 1: A retrosternal goitre arises from slow downward growth of a multinodular thyroid into the mediastinum. CT (or MRI) is essential in every case to map the extent, tracheal compression and relation to mediastinal structures before surgery, so option A is correct.
Why the others are wrong: Most retrosternal goitres can be delivered through a standard cervical (neck) incision; a median sternotomy is needed only in a minority, so option B is false. The blood supply is from the neck (the inferior thyroid arteries), NOT from intrathoracic vessels, because the gland descends from the neck and drags its pedicle with it, so option C is false. Surgery is usually elective rather than immediate/emergency, so option D is false.
Ref: Bailey and Love, Short Practice of Surgery, 27th edition, 2018; SRB's Manual of Surgery, 4th edition.
Step 1: A retrosternal goitre arises from slow downward growth of a multinodular thyroid into the mediastinum. CT (or MRI) is essential in every case to map the extent, tracheal compression and relation to mediastinal structures before surgery, so option A is correct.
Why the others are wrong: Most retrosternal goitres can be delivered through a standard cervical (neck) incision; a median sternotomy is needed only in a minority, so option B is false. The blood supply is from the neck (the inferior thyroid arteries), NOT from intrathoracic vessels, because the gland descends from the neck and drags its pedicle with it, so option C is false. Surgery is usually elective rather than immediate/emergency, so option D is false.
Ref: Bailey and Love, Short Practice of Surgery, 27th edition, 2018; SRB's Manual of Surgery, 4th edition.
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