上田 大輔

Daisuke UEDA

枝幸町国保病院小児科

Department of Pediatrics, Esashi-cho National Health Insurance Hospital

キーワード : Ultrasound, Thyroid gland, Goiter, Children

This study has attempted to establish clinical indicators of normal pediatric thyroid gland by ultrasonography. The study population was 300 consecutive children. Thirteen children revealed thyroid enlargement in physical examination. Thus the real-time ultrasound images of the thyroid gland in 287 healthy children were prospectively analyzed to determine the normal thyroid gland volume and enchotexture. In the eliminated 13 children with goiter, the diagnosis of simple goiter was clinically made. The sonograms of simple goiter were also examined and compared with normal thyroid gland. The volume of the thyroid gland was determined as follows. Assuming each lobe of the thyroid gland to be a prolated spheroid, the long axis diameter (D1) , the short axis diameter (D2) and the thickness (D3) of each lobe were measured. The volume of each lobe was estimated, using a standard geometric formula: volume of a prolated spheroid=D1×D2×D3×π/6. The total volume of the thyroid gland was calculated as the sum of the each lobe. The volume of the thyroid gland were correlated with body height, body weight, body surface area and age. Correlation with height (r=0.80, p