Neonatal screening for congenital hypothyroidism

Presently active screening programs for the detection of congenital hypothyroidism are highly effective in the diagnosis of intrinsic disease of the thyroid associated with both hypothyroxinemia and elevated serum TSH. For other disorders of thyroid function, which are numerically less important, the programs are hampered by a high rate of false positive results. The physician's response to notification of suspect status for a given infant must be guided by an understanding of the specific nature of the screening program in his area.