Congenital Goiter Due to Maternal Ingestion of Iodides

Among 22,843 infants delivered at the New York Hospital from January 1, 1966 to June 1, 1971, 2 had congenital goiters. One of these infants had been delivered vaginally while the other was delivered abdominally due to extreme hyperextension of the neck. Both infants were treated with thyroid hormone for two reasonsa) to suppress thyroid stimulating hormone and therefore decrease the size of the goiter and b) to prevent mental retardation due to hypothyroidism. The interesting finding in these cases was the long term history of maternal ingestion of iodine. It is therefore recommended that iodine-containing preparations not be used for extended periods during pregnancy.