Normal value of thyroid isthmus thickness

The thyroid gland is an endocrine organ in our body. It plays an important role in promoting the body's metabolism, bone and brain growth and development, and adjusting hormone levels. When there is a problem with the thyroid gland, the impact on your health is quite significant. In general, there is no need to be too nervous when thickening of the isthmus of the thyroid gland occurs. This only indicates the size of the thyroid gland and does not necessarily mean that you have a thyroid disease.

Normal value of thyroid isthmus thickness

The thyroid gland is the largest endocrine gland in the adult body. It is divided into left and right lobes, connected by a narrow isthmus in the middle, and spans the upper trachea in an "H" or butterfly shape. Each lobe of an adult's thyroid gland is about 3~6CM long, 2~3CM wide, and 1~2CM thick. The isthmus is usually about 1.6CM long, 2.2CM wide and 0.2CM thick.

The thickness of the isthmus of the thyroid gland alone cannot determine whether there is a disease. The key is to see whether there are nodules or cysts in it, and then to comprehensively judge the situation based on the thyroid function status. It is necessary to test the thyroid function and thyroglobulin antibodies.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is a systemic disease caused by insufficient synthesis and secretion of thyroid hormones or poor or insufficient physiological effects of thyroid hormones.

It is mainly divided into three types: cretinism, juvenile hypothyroidism and adult hypothyroidism, which are more common in middle-aged women. Many cases of hypothyroidism in adults are caused by surgical resection, long-term antithyroid drug treatment, or the use of radioactive iodine-131 to treat hyperthyroidism.

Main pathological manifestations and hazards:

1. General manifestations:

Fear of cold, dry skin with little sweat, rough, yellowing, coldness, sparse and dry hair, brittle and cracked nails, fatigue, drowsiness, poor memory, intellectual impairment, slow reaction, mild anemia, and weight gain.

2. Special performance:

The face is pale and sallow, the face is swollen, the eyes are dull, the eyelids are swollen, the expression is indifferent, the person speaks very little, and when he speaks, his voice is hoarse and his words are slurred.

3. Cardiovascular system:

Slow heart rate, weak heart sounds, generalized enlargement of the heart, often accompanied by pericardial effusion, swelling of myocardial fibers after the disease, deposition of mucinous glycoprotein (PAS staining positive) and interstitial fibrosis are called hypothyroidism cardiomyopathy.

4. Reproductive system:

Men may experience sexual dysfunction, delayed sexual maturity, delayed secondary sexual characteristics, decreased libido, impotence and testicular atrophy. Women may experience irregular menstruation, excessive menstrual bleeding or amenorrhea, and are generally infertile. It will affect the fertility of both male and female patients.

5. Muscle and joint system:

Muscle contraction and relaxation are slow and delayed, muscle pain and stiffness are common, bone metabolism is slow, bone formation and absorption are reduced, joints are not flexible, there is a feeling of stiffness, aggravated by cold, like chronic arthritis, and joint effusion is occasionally seen.

6. Digestive system:

Patients suffer from loss of appetite, constipation, abdominal distension, and even paralytic intestinal obstruction. About half of the patients have complete gastric acid deficiency.

7. Endocrine system:

Male impotence, female menorrhagia, long-term illness or amenorrhea, low adrenal cortex function, and decreased blood and urine cortisol.

8. Psychoneural system:

Memory loss, mental retardation, slow reaction, drowsiness, depression, sometimes excessive worry and psychotic symptoms. Severe cases develop into paranoid schizophrenia, and in the later stages there is often dementia, circadian hallucinations, stupor or drowsiness.

9. Eye expression: looking up without wrinkling forehead

The lower eyelid falls slowly; the eyes bulge, blink less often, and the eyelid is wide and difficult to close. Benign exophthalmos causes no sensation, while malignant exophthalmos causes more sensation. Malignant exophthalmos is also known as infiltrative exophthalmos, endocrine exophthalmos, etc. The degree of exophthalmos is more than 18 mm, and there may be extraocular muscle paralysis, periorbital edema, etc. Patients often complain of photophobia, tearing, eye pain and stinging.