[The echotomographic assessment of the thyroid bed in thyroidectomized subjects]

This study was aimed at evaluating the US anatomy of the postoperative thyroid bed. Fifteen normal patients (group A), 25 thyroidectomized patients (group B), and 2 patients with thyroid agenesis (group C) were evaluated by means of high-resolution real-time US. The examinations were performed with a 7.5 MHz small-parts linear transducer on the transverse, longitudinal, and oblique planes. Twenty-one patients in group B underwent subtotal thyroidectomy for multinodular goiter, 2 patients underwent an almost total thyroidectomy for Basedow's disease, and 2 patients were submitted to total thyroidectomy for papillary carcinoma. The most typical finding observed in group B was the close apposition of both carotid artery and jugular vein to the trachea. This finding was not observed in the patients in group C. No clear identification of parathyroid glands and of laryngeal nerves was possible in the patients in group B.