Routine test methods for thyroid function

Nowadays, more and more people are suffering from diseases. This has made people pay attention to the importance of physical examinations. Therefore, you must go to the hospital regularly for a full body examination. In this way, some diseases in your body will be discovered earlier. Especially for thyroid diseases, it is difficult to be discovered in the first time. In this case, you must do a thyroid function test to be able to intuitively see whether your thyroid is diseased.

(I) Visually inspect the size and symmetry of the thyroid gland. In a normal person, the thyroid gland does not appear prominent, but may slightly increase in size during puberty in women. During the examination, ask the person being examined to swallow. It can be seen that the thyroid gland moves upward with the swallowing movement. If it is difficult to identify, ask the person being examined to put both hands behind the pillow and tilt the head back. Then observe again and it will be more obvious.

(II) Palpation (1) Isthmus of the thyroid gland: The isthmus of the thyroid gland is located below the cricoid cartilage and in front of the second to fourth tracheal rings. Stand in front of the subject and touch upward from the suprasternal notch with your thumb, or stand behind the subject and touch with your index finger. You can feel the soft tissue in front of the trachea to determine whether it is thickened. Ask the subject to swallow. You can feel the soft tissue sliding under your fingers to determine whether it is enlarged or lumpy. (2) Lateral lobe of the thyroid: Palpation from the front: Use the thumb of one hand to apply pressure to the thyroid cartilage on one side to push the trachea to the opposite side. Use the index and middle fingers of the other hand to push the lateral lobe of the thyroid forward along the posterior edge of the sternocleidomastoid muscle on the opposite side. Use the thumb to palpate the anterior edge of the sternocleidomastoid muscle. Repeat the examination while swallowing. The pushed thyroid gland can be felt. Check the other thyroid gland in the same way. Posterior palpation: Similar to anterior palpation. The index and middle fingers of one hand apply pressure to the thyroid cartilage on one side to push the trachea to the opposite side. The thumb of the other hand pushes the thyroid gland forward at the posterior edge of the opposite sternocleidomastoid muscle, and the index and middle fingers palpate the thyroid gland at its front edge. Coordinate swallowing and repeat the check. Check the other thyroid gland in the same way.

(III) Auscultation: When you feel an enlarged thyroid gland, place a bell-shaped stethoscope directly on the enlarged thyroid gland. If you hear a low-pitched, continuous venous "buzzing" sound, it is very helpful in diagnosing hyperthyroidism. In addition, systolic arterial murmurs may be heard in patients with diffuse goiter and hyperfunction.

(IV) Thyroid enlargement can be divided into three degrees: Grade I is when the enlargement cannot be seen but can be felt; Grade II is when the enlargement can be seen and felt but is within the sternocleidomastoid muscle; and Grade III is when the enlargement exceeds the outer edge of the sternocleidomastoid muscle.

Because there are not many symptoms when the thyroid function first becomes impaired, it is difficult for many people to see their thyroid enlargement, mainly because the appearance is not so prominent. Therefore, it is best to go to the hospital for a detailed observation and try to tilt your head back so that the enlargement of your thyroid can be observed more intuitively.