Recent research does not recommend ultrasound screening of the thyroid gland (thyroid gland) since it was found to have no detectable health effect. About 30-40% of women over the age of 50 have asymptomatic changes in the thyroid gland. About 5% are palpable (can be felt with the fingers from the outside). If you have a real cold, known thyroid cancer in the family, or you have discomfort in the throat and deviating metabolic values, an ultrasound can be clarifying for further treatment or follow-up.
The thyroid gland (thyroid)
The thyroid gland (thyroid) regulates the metabolism or metabolism in the body. The thyroid gland is located on the front of the neck and is divided into two, right lobe and left lobe which lies on either side of the trachea and are connected at the front by the isthmus. It is just under the skin and can be easily visualized with ultrasound. Swelling or cold on the neck is often a benign lump on the thyroid gland that does not need further follow-up. The purpose of ultrasound of the thyroid gland is not to detect random nodules to take tissue samples of these, but to detect changes in the tissue that may explain low or right metabolism or detect an enlarged gland in case of discomfort in the throat.
An ultrasound examination will often show a deviant appearance (echo pattern) in cases where the patient has a low metabolism, ongoing or undergone thyroiditis (inflammation of the thyroid gland). Over half of all adults have nodules in the thyroid gland without clinical significance (harmless). It is only in those cases where you have symptoms or have an increased risk of cancer of the gland that you should be further examined with tissue sampling (biopsy).
The incidence of hypothyroidism (low metabolism) increases with age and occurs in young adults, and then it is often familial. Women are affected about five times more than men.
The most common symptoms of low metabolism are:
- Fatigue
- Slackness
- Freezer
- Gets a slow stomach
- Weight gain and hair changes (dry)
The diagnosis is usually made with metabolic blood tests. Changes in the thyroid gland's structure, nodules, and appearance can be detected by ultrasound in the vast majority of cases of hypothyroidism.
Goiter means that the thyroid gland is enlarged.
The thyroid gland consists of two lobes, one on each side of the larynx on the neck. Each patch measures typically 4 cm in length and 2 cm in width. There are many causes of a goiter. The most common are benign thyroid nodules and inflammation of the thyroid gland. More rare causes are iodine deficiency.
Thyroid cancer
The goiter needs no treatment as long as the nodules do not press on adjacent structures such as the esophagus or trachea and as long as the nodules do not give rise to suspicion of cancer.
How to check the thyroid gland?
Book an appointment with a Health Check (Skjoldbruskkjertel) specialist in radiology.
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