Goitre a choker, dubbed "Kropfband" (struma band) which was used to hide either the goitre or the remnants of goitre surgery. In the 1920s wearing bottles of iodine around the neck was believed to prevent goitre. The coat of arms and crest of Die Kröpfner, of Tyrol showed a man "afflicted with a large goitre", an apparent pun on the German for the word ("Kropf"). Goitre A goitre, or goiter, is a swelling in the neck resulting from an enlarged thyroid gland. A goitre is associated with a thyroid that is not functioning properly. Worldwide, over 90% of goitre cases are
Pseudo-goitre Pseudo-goitre Pseudo-goitre is the apparent fullness of the front part of the neck. It may be mistakenly diagnosed as thyroid enlargement. The cause for pseudogoitre can be fat tissue of the neck, cervical lordosis, cervical masses (such as cervical lymphadenopathy, branchial cleft cyst, pharyngeal diverticulum) or high lying thyroid or trachea. Pseudogoitre due to cervical lordosis (swan shaped-neck) is called Modigliani syndrome after the artist Amedeo Modigliani, who was famous for painting women with exaggerated curved neck. Pseudogoitre can be distinguished from other disease conditions of the neck by physical examination. Normal thyroid moves up with swallowing, and any structure