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Updated: Apr 3, 2026
Author Spotlight: Integrating Ultrasound Imaging with Biochemical Markers for Thyroid Disease Diagnosis
Published on: February 9, 2024
Sonographic evaluation of children with congenital hypothyroidism
Anelise de Almeida Sedassari1, Luis Ronan Marquez Ferreira de Souza2, Nathalie de Almeida Sedassari3
1Physician on duty at Hospital São Marcos de Uberaba, Uberaba, MG, Brazil.
Insights
Thyroid ultrasonography provides key benchmarks for euthyroid children and aids in diagnosing congenital hypothyroidism by revealing gland characteristics and location. This noninvasive method is crucial for early etiological definition.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Diagnostic Imaging
- Thyroidology
Background:
- Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) requires early diagnosis for optimal outcomes.
- Thyroid ultrasonography (US) is a valuable noninvasive tool for evaluating thyroid gland morphology and location.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish sonographic benchmarks for the thyroid gland in euthyroid children up to 5 years old.
- To compare these benchmarks with sonographic findings in age-matched children diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism.
- To identify sonographic characteristics associated with different etiologies of congenital hypothyroidism.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 36 children (2 months to 5 years) was divided into two groups: 23 euthyroid and 13 with congenital hypothyroidism.
- All participants underwent thyroid ultrasonography to assess gland volume, echogenicity, and location.
- Etiological diagnoses for congenital hypothyroidism included dyshormonogenesis, ectopic thyroid, and thyroid hypoplasia.
Main Results:
- Euthyroid children (n=23) had a mean thyroid volume of 1.12 mL, with 73.91% showing a homogeneous gland.
- Congenital hypothyroidism group (n=13) showed a higher mean thyroid volume of 2.73 mL.
- In CH, 23.07% had ectopic thyroid, and among those with orthotopic thyroid, 50% had a homogeneous and 50% a heterogeneous gland. Etiologies varied: 46.15% dyshormonogenesis, 23.07% ectopic thyroid, 30.76% hypoplasia.
Conclusions:
- Thyroid ultrasonography is a readily available, noninvasive method for evaluating the pediatric thyroid.
- Sonographic findings can help differentiate euthyroid children from those with congenital hypothyroidism.
- Early thyroid US, even at birth, can aid in the etiological diagnosis of congenital hypothyroidism, guiding timely management.
Objective:
To establish benchmarks and study some sonographic characteristics of the thyroid gland in a group of euthyroid children aged up to 5 years as compared with age-matched children with congenital hypothyroidism.
Materials And Methods:
Thirty-six children (17 female and 19 male) aged between 2 months and 5 years were divided into two groups - 23 euthyroid children and 13 children with congenital hypothyroidism - and were called to undergo ultrasonography.
Results:
In the group of euthyroid children (n = 23), mean total volume of the thyroid gland was 1.12 mL (minimum, 0.39 mL; maximum, 2.72 mL); a homogeneous gland was found in 17 children (73.91%) and 6 children (26.08%) had a heterogeneous gland. In the group of children with congenital hypothyroidism (n = 13), mean total volume of the thyroid gland was 2.73 mL (minimum, 0.20 mL; maximum, 11.00 mL). As regards thyroid location, 3 patients (23.07%) had ectopic thyroid, and 10 (69.23%) had topic thyroid, and out of the latter, 5 had a homogeneous gland (50%) and 5, a heterogeneous gland (50%). In the group with congenital hypothyroidism, 6 (46.15%) children had etiological diagnosis of dyshormoniogenesis, 3 (23.07%), of ectopic thyroid, and 4 (30.76%), of thyroid hypoplasia.
Conclusion:
Thyroid ultrasonography is a noninvasive imaging method, widely available, easy to perform and for these reasons could, and should, be performed at any time, including at birth, with no preparation or treatment discontinuation, to aid in the early etiological definition of congenital hypothyroidism.
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