Abstract:Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate aortic stiffness and left ventricular systolic and diastolic function in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) on thyroxin (L-T4) therapy and after L-T4 withdrawal in order to assess the cardiovascular impact of long-term subclinical hyperthyroidism and short-term overt hypothyroidism. Design: Twenty four patients who had had total thyroidectomy and radioiodine ablation for differentiated thyroid cancer were studied on two occasions: on TSH suppressive L-T4 therapy (sTSH 0.24±0.11 mU/L), and four weeks after L-T4 withdrawal (sTSH 89.82±29.36 mU/L). Echocardiography was performed and thyroid function, serum thyroglobulin, lipid parameters, homocystine, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen and von Willebrandt factor activity (vWF) were measured. Twenty two healthy volunteers matched for age and sex served as euthyroid controls. Results: Aortic stiffness was increased both in hypothyroidism (6.04±2.88 cm2/dyn/103, p< 0.05) and subclinical hyperthyroidism (9.27±4.81 cm2/dyn/103, p<0.05) vs. controls (3.92±1.84 cm2/dyn/103). Subclinical hyperthyroidism had a more marked effect (p<0.05). LV dimensions and ejection fractions were similar before and after L-T4 withdrawal. The E'/A' was higher in euthyroid controls (1.34±1.02) as compared to both subclinical hyperthyroidism (1.0±0.14, p<0.05) and overt hypothyroidism (1.13±0.98, p<0.05). Change of aortic stiffness correlated with change of free-thyroxine (fT4), vWF and fibrinogen levels in a positive manner. Conclusion: Long-term thyrotropin-suppression therapy has continuous adverse effects on the arterial wall. The degree of TSH suppression in patients with DTC should be kept at the possible minimum, based on individually determined potential benefits and risks of treatment, especially in patients with cardiovascular comorbidities. Dear Professor Bartalena,We would like to thank you for the suggestions which have contributed to the improvement of our paper entitled "Aortic stiffness and left ventricular function in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer", JENI-D-14-00120 .We have corrected the manuscript and we hope that you will find it worth publishing in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation.We provide a detailed point-by-point response to each of the referees' concerns, describing exactly how we responded to each point and where you can find the amendment in the revised manuscript.Thank you very much for your patience and kind help. •How many time elapsed from thyroidectomy/RAI ablation and the current tests?20±12,6 months elapsed before the start of this study. This information has been added to page 4, line 47.•What was the thyroglobulin serum level at the time of aortic examination? In other words, were all the patients without evidence of persistent/recurrent disease (also by the biochemical point of view)? / Did the Authors evaluate the level of serum anti-Tg antibodies?The first off-T4 Tg measurrment was at least 6 months after RAI in parallel with anti-Tg antibody. Four of twenty...